


Through the Eye of the Needle

by falicewins



Series: Falice One Shots by falicewins [5]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, falice - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22598734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falicewins/pseuds/falicewins
Summary: ''In case you forgot I was undercover the last eight months. I think I can handle testifying against the man we took down.'' She answered coldly. Alice got up and placed her plate into the dishwasher, still avoiding his look. FP sighed almost unnoticeable, shoving his plate in front of him. His will to eat was gone.Alice made her way towards the stairs, but she turned around when FP started to talk. He had gotten up and had taken a few steps into her direction. ''So this is how it's going to be?''''The song you did tonight. It was beautiful.'' She explained and gave him a soft smile like it was her rewarding him for his romantic gesture. The little smirk got back on his face and he smiled gratefully to her.''I know you are trying, FP.''''I couldn't care less if anyone in this town would give up on me, but with you it's different.'' Since she wasn't backing out he subconsciously took another two steps into her direction so their feet were almost touching.
Relationships: Alice Cooper/FP Jones II
Series: Falice One Shots by falicewins [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626064
Comments: 9
Kudos: 5





	Through the Eye of the Needle

It was the first time Alice and FP were alone at home since she had moved back in. She had told him it was just going to be temporarily and that she was looking for a new house for her and Betty in every second of free time she had.

It wasn't her first choice to move back into the house on Elm Street. One because it felt like Hal was still there in every corner of the room and second because having to face FP every day was something that hurt her more than she admitted. Every time her eyes crossed his she could hear the words of how he ended things with her echo through her mind again.

FP had tried his best to make things as good as possible for both Alice and Betty, but it seemed like an impossible job to make Alice at least a little satisfied with the situation. All he got was cold looks and stabs underwater. Not that he blamed her, but he wanted a chance to explain why he made his decision. She wasn't going to give him that, maybe not ever.

During dinner there was an awkward silence. FP ate the lasagne she made while focusing on her eyes. Alice was looking down onto her plate, avoiding his try to get her attention at all costs. He put down his fork and stopped eating, waiting for her to notice. She looked up a few seconds later, frowning at him as a sign to start talking even though she wasn't really interested.

''Are you nervous for the Evernever case?'' He asked genuinely interested, but also to finally start a normal conversation with her. She looked down at her plate again, not wanting to have to share this with him. He should know the answer since he and Charles were preparing everything for the court.

He had asked his son about his mother's feelings, since he was the only one she would open up to, but in Charles eyes Alice was the one to tell him about what was going through her mind according to the case, which was a very political correct answer.

''In case you forgot I was undercover the last eight months. I think I can handle testifying against the man we took down.'' She answered coldly. Alice got up and placed her plate into the dishwasher, still avoiding his look. FP sighed almost unnoticeable, shoving his plate in front of him. His will to eat was gone.

Alice made her way towards the stairs, but she turned around when FP started to talk. He had gotten up and had taken a few steps into her direction. ''So this is how it's going to be?''

He voice was a mix between anger and hurt. All he wanted for her was to just talk to him, but even that seemed too much to ask. He was glad she was living under his roof now so he could check up on her without her really noticing it, but observing her from a distance wasn't going to get them anywhere.

''What do you mean by that?'' Alice crossed her arms to make her look more confident but she wasn't feeling like that at all. She had heard the tone in his voice. He was hurt. She was too, but she wasn't ready to admit that. Not to him at least.

''You throwing rocks at me whenever you get the chance. You won't even talk to me.'' His voice was soft and even cracked for a second. He tried to hide it, but she had heard it anyway. Her look softened as well, but she wasn't ready to let her walls down.

''I tried to talk to you before, FP. Three times.'' Alice looked up from the floor, tears shining in her eyes. ''The first one time was when I got pregnant. The second one was at opening night. The third time was when you chose Gladys over us.'' She shook her head with a sad smile. ''I'm done trying.'' 

Alice teared up and raised her voice, pointing at him to give her words more power. Thinking of how hard she tried to reach him, to let him know how she felt but getting turned down every time made her heart ache. She turned around, wanting to walk upstairs and be alone for the rest of the night.

He grabbed her wrist before she got the chance to walk up the stairs. ''Don't walk away, Alice.'' The tone of his voice was a mix between anger and desperation, like he was begging her to stay down stairs. The moment her eyes crossed his he could read the fire in it. He slowly let go of her arm, not wanting to hurt her.

''Walking away is more your specialty, isn't it?'' She said sarcastically. She turned the rest of her body to him, crossing her arms once again. Those words stung him right into his heart because they couldn't be more true.

He had always walked away when things got difficult when in fact he had to fight for it. He realised that he started fighting for the person that stabbed him in the back, while he let go of the woman who genuinely cared about him.

''We can talk the moment you finally know what you want, but don't expect me to wait for you. Because I am not. I am not going to be a second choice.'' Alice teared up remembering that that was exactly how she felt. She always had been the other woman. If she had shown how he really felt about her maybe she wouldn't have felt that way.

FP's eyes got watery as well, seeing that there was so much more hurt hidden behind the mask she had put up. He was the reason of that hurt. It was his own fault she wasn't letting him in anymore. His eyes where fixated on the ground since he wasn't able to look into her eyes without bursting into tears.

''Alice, I-'' His words got stuck in his throat, since trying to put his thoughts into words was a big challenge for him. FP's actions proved more than his words, but right now explaining himself was something he had to do, if she wouldn't take it then at least he had done it for himself.

''You've always been my first choice, Alice.'' He finally spoke out, leaving her speechless. It was almost a whisper, but she he had heard every word of it. He breath got stuck in her throat by his sudden confession.

''I let you down, I know that. Just as much as I know that you deserve someone better than me. All I am asking is for you to not make the mistakes I did. Please talk to me, you know how things end when we don't talk, I am the living proof of that.''

He looked directly into her eyes and now it was her turn to look away in order to not break down in front of him. She knew he was right. She blamed him for all the times he had shut her down when she was doing the exact same thing right now. Why was it so hard for them to communicate?

''There was only one thing that kept me sane during my investigation.'' Her voice was soft and he could hear the tears stuck in her throat. He slowly took a step into her direction, hoping that it was okay if he came closer to her. She didn't take a step back, but looked deep into his brown eyes. Every time she looked in them she felt her knees weaken, but she tried everything to push that feeling away.

''It was you, FP. It was us. Knowing that there was going to be a moment where I'd be with you got me through it. Until you broke it off, again.'' Her voice cracked, tears already flowing down her cheeks. Her sight was blurred because of her tears and she tried to hide her face into the palm of her hand.

As she began to run towards the stairs she felt two strong arms embracing her tightly, as if they were afraid of letting her go. To his surprise she gave into his hug and pressed her head onto his chest. His hand was placed on her golden locks, stroking through it to make her calm down. She felt a few tears of his dripping on the top of her head.

''I tried to make things right, I owed that to my kids. But I destroyed the only thing that made me feel alive again.'' He whispered into her ear. Alice had calmed down but still hold onto him. She had missed his body so close to hers and smelling his scent made her feel like coming home.

She came out of his embrace, stroking the stubble on his jaw. He gazed in to her ocean blue eyes before taking the risk and softly pecked a kiss on her lips.

He wanted to pull back and see her reaction but he didn't get the chance to do that since Alice deepened the kiss, making it more passionate. She pulled back and looked at him with a confused look on her face. Before she could say something someone opened the front door.

She took a step away from FP and quickly wiped with her sleeves over her cheeks, making sure all her tears were gone. Her daughter came inside smiling at the two adults. She fixated her look on her mother a few seconds longer because she sensed there was something going on. All they did was just smile at her, ignoring the tension in the air.

''How was your night, honey?'' Alice asked lightly. Betty hang her coat on the rack and smiled. ''We had fun, Kevin, Veronica and I went to the Bijou.'' Alice hugged her daughter, which she did insanely often the last few weeks just because she was so happy for her to be okay.

''How was your night?'' Betty asked curious. Alice and FP shared a quick look, feeling a little awkward because of her question. But Alice wouldn't be Alice if she would pretend nothing happened. It felt like an obvious choice to not tell Betty about her conversation and kiss with FP, because they still had a lot to talk about. It was just the first step into the right direction.

''It was fine, nothing special. Here take a cookie, I made them for dessert.'' Alice proudly took the plate with the fresh backed oat-meal cookies and handed one to her daughter, who gladly grabbed one. Oat-meal cookies where one of her specialties and even if she was already exploding because of all the popcorn she would never turn down one of these.

''Thanks mom, they are delicious.'' Betty smiled and looked at both FP and Alice again, knowing that something was up. She didn't want to put herself or her mother in an uncomfortable situation, so she decided not to ask anything further.

After watching some TV in the living room Betty decided to go upstairs and get her rest since she had a big test coming up. She spent a lot of time studying because she wanted to be accepted into her dream college. Alice supported her in every way and even checked all her essay's for her to make sure it was nothing but perfect.

Betty being upstairs meant Alice and FP being alone in the living room once again. Jughead was at prep school and Jellybean was sleeping over at a friend's house. Alice started cleaning everything up that they had left because of their argument, but she couldn't sleep knowing the kitchen was a mess. Lots of people would leave the dishes for the next morning, but Alice wasn't that kind of person.

While she placed the last flew glasses into the dishwasher she felt two arms snaking around her waist. Her body tensed being caught off guard from the sudden touch. In a second she turned around which caused his hands sliding of her stomach.

''What are you doing?'' She asked almost annoyed. He was confused by her sudden action, catching her eyes to read why she was reacting the way she did. It was like their conversation had never happened and she turned into the Alice who was acting cold again.

''I thought we...'' FP started to stumble. Alice looked at the ground and placed the glass she was still holding onto the counter. With a sigh she looked at him with pity, knowing exactly what his thoughts were.

''FP, that we just kissed doesn't mean we can get passed everything that happened. You know that, right? I am not sure I am ready for this. I am sorry.'' She tried to explain in the most un-hurtful way she could. 

It was hard for her to admit that she felt something in that kiss and that every part of her body screamed to be with him and just start over, but she couldn't. Kissing him also reminded of all the times he had stabbed her right into the core of her heart, leaving her broken again.

Seeing the pain in his eyes made her feel like someone was punching her into her stomach, but this time it wasn't that easy. She couldn't just go back to the man who had hurt her so many times before just to let it end the way it always did.

He just looked at her a few seconds with watery eyes before taking a few steps away from her, turning around and leaving out of the front door without a word.

The moment she heard the front door close she let out the breath she had been holding this night, or maybe even for weeks. Her hands were trembling and she accidentally dropped the glass she grabbed again on the ground.

All she could do was stare at the splinters of glass spread around over her kitchen floor. This night she had broken more than just a glass, she had broken the heart of the man she loved, but couldn't completely give herself too yet.

The last week Alice and FP had been acting civil towards each other. She had stopped starting an argument over everything and he had acted like he hadn't stormed out the other day. Basically it meant they were doing what they were good at: pretending there wasn't a situation they had to talk about so badly. For now it worked but the sudden change of mood hadn't gone unnoticed by their kids.

Living together all under the same roof was an uneasy situation sometimes, but everybody acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. Charles came by around breakfast a lot and joined dinner as much as he could just to be close to his new found family. He got along with Jellybean surprisingly well and he became real close to Betty during their investigation. Alice was a proud mother and FP and Charles seemed to have a lot in common as well.

Alice and FP hadn't really talked about what happened with Charles, only the specific things that had to do something with the case. She had been very closed about it, so he had no idea what has been going through her mind when it came to working with their son.

There was a night where she had explained everyone how it all had started, but that was all just technical information. Just one moment she had slipped out that she thought Charles just looked like FP, but she went upstairs just a few seconds after that so he couldn't open up the conversation about that yet.

Charles still had lot of time to catch up on so he offered to go to the school's fundraising together as a family. The art budget had been cut drastically so the students of Riverdale High did a lot the raise money to still have a musical in their senior year. It was one of the only projects they got to do together before they left for college so they wanted to fight for that.

They had organized a whole week of activities to raise enough money. On the first day they had started with a car wash by the Vixens and the Bull Dogs and the second day there was an Open Mic night in La Bonne Nuit, hosted by the one and only Veronica Lodge and Kevin Keller. Jughead was back in town for that week and so Charles thought it would be a perfect thing to go to as a family. There was free entertainment and they could donate something for the art fund.

So there they were, the five of them sitting at a table in La Bonne Nuit, getting their drinks served by Reggie who was the in charge of the bar that night.

Betty, Jellybean, Jughead and Charles sat between Alice and FP so they were as far as possible from each other. It created too big of a space to actually talk to each other without anyone hearing it but maybe in that was a good thing. Neither of them really knew what to say after what happened. Right now it just was a good thing that they were acting normal.

There had just been an incredible sexy but classy performance by Veronica, Toni and Cheryl that definitely brought much money for the fund raising night. You could see that they had practised a lot and everyone was deeply impressed by their moves. They got a big round of applause before Kevin walked up the stage and grabbed the microphone.

''Thank you to the beautiful ladies of Riverdale High! You were a pleasure to look at!'' The crowd cheered and the girls smiled proudly. Lots of people were donating money just the way they had hoped.

''I have to admit, I was a little bit surprised to see our next performer on the list. We have never hear him sing before, but that doesn't say anything about the hidden talent that might be there. People fear him, people love him, let me hear you for the one and only FP Jones!'' Kevin started applauding and the rest joined him.

At the table all the eyes went towards FP. FP just stayed serious, not giving into the stares that he just got from the four people who joined him this evening. Betty leant into her boyfriend, who was just as confused as she was. They were clapping but they were also really confused about the fact that FP decided to join the Open Mic Night and didn't tell them about it.

''Did you know your dad was going to sing?'' Betty chuckled a little, not being able to imagine hearing him sing. She only knew him as the Serpent King or as Sheriff Jones. He could play guitar, but did he have a good voice? The Fred Heads didn't make it for a reason, she thought.

The light dimmed and FP took a seat on the crutch taking the guitar Kevin just handed to him. There was just little spot on him and the light for the audience was toned down to the bare minimum. It immediately created an intimate vibe.

It was a big contrast to the performance they just saw and it seemed like everybody just scooted over a little closer to each other. The room was completely silent before FP started to play.

The first notes of Layla by Eric Clapton came out of his guitar. The crowd gasped a little, already loving the beautiful song. FP's eyes were focussed on his guitar, making sure he was hitting the right chords. Betty and Jughead were snuggled up together paying attention to every second of FP's performance.

''What''ll you do when you are lonely? And nobody's waiting by your side?'' He started to sing softly. His voice was raw, but it somehow fitted perfectly to the lyrics.

Most people were even surprised that he could actually sing and play guitar, but some people had already known. Jughead and Jellybean only knew that his voice wasn't bad because he used to sing them goodnight songs when they were little, but that it was actually good was also new for them.

FP slowly looked up, searching for Alice's eyes. ''You've been running, hiding much too long, you know it's just your foolish pride, Layla.'' He caught them immediately and he didn't let them go until he knew for sure that she was looking back at him.

FP Jones wasn't good with words but maybe by singing her a song in front of all these people he could make clear how he was feeling about her. He wasn't going to give up on them, not this time. It was a kind of romantic gesture he had never done before and he wasn't even sure she was going to appreciate it, but this was another way to express his feelings in a way she maybe understood.

He smiled slightly when he looked deep into her piercing blue eyes. ''You've got me on my knees, Layla. I am begging darling please, Layla. Darling won't you ease my worried mind.'' The whole room was looking to him, but he only had eyes for her. It seemed like everyone and everything around them just disappeared and it was just the two of them. It was him singing his song for her and she was paying attention.

''I tried to give you consolation, when your old man had let you down.'' Hearing him sing those words made her think back about how even though they were just fooling around as teenagers he had been there on times nobody else would.

The both of them had a rotten father and he was there for her when she needed to get out of her trailer. Their relationship didn't have a label, but she'd always had a place to crash if she needed one. Now he was doing that for her again. He was her first real friend, but everything got messed up.

''Like a fool, I fell in love with you. You turned my whole upside down.'' He smirked and winked at her and she couldn't hold back her own grin anymore.

She couldn't describe how much she appreciated his gesture. He wasn't the kind of guy to put it out there in front of an audience, even though that audience might not have any idea about what he was really saying. It all meant a lot to her. He openly did something to let her know he was fighting for her time, and that was exactly what she needed.

''Layla, you've got me on my knees, Layla, I am beggin' darling please, Layla, darling won't you easy my worried mind.'' The notes of his guitar were fading out while his eyes where fixated on Alice's, who just like him didn't let go. She didn't really smile but the little grin she was trying to hide so badly said enough to him. He had broken down the first stone of the wall around her.

The crowd around them started cheering and people walked over the donation bag because FP definitely deserved the money for his performance. It was really different than the girls just did, but that didn't make it less sensational.

He couldn't care less about the crowd around him or the people donating, all he saw was the blonde haired woman who was still not breaking the eye contact.

One of the people who walked over to the bag next to the stage was Charles who shared a look with his father while giving the money. They had just met a few weeks ago but somehow they already knew how to read each other. He smirked lightly and walked away towards the table again.

Kevin got up on the stage again so FP handed him the guitar so he could place it back to where it belonged. He was just as much stunned by FP's unexpected performance and talent because besides him everybody else just found out about his singing qualities as well.

''Wow. He's a man of many talents. Please give it up for FP Jones!'' FP got down the stage again and walked back towards his seat at the table, sitting down again with a big smirk on his face. The crowd cheered once again and this time he actually paid attention to it and thanked them by looking around him and giving the audience a thankful nod.

It wasn't a surprise that Riverdale had many people with lots of talent so filling the Open Mic night wasn't a problem. Alice looked next to her and saw how much her son was already getting along with Betty, Jughead and Jellybean. She had always feared that he would feel left out because he didn't get the chance to grow up with them, but he caught on real quick.

Her eyes drifted off a little to the left and the second time that night she looked right into FP's eyes, who had probably already stared longer to her than she noticed. She smiled so slightly that it was almost unnoticeable. He looked at Charles for a second and then back at her, trying to say what was on his mind just with one look. Alice understood what he meant immediately.

They didn't even have to say something out loud to share their first moment as proud parents together. It was like they were talking about their son without actually having to talk about him.

She was proud he was his son, and he was proud he was hers. He was the perfect combination of the two of them, it didn't take a genius to see that. It had been too difficult to actually talk about their suddenly having their son back into their lives, but the look they just shared was their first step into the right direction.

\--

It was after midnight when they finally came back home. The living situation was still a bit weird but Jellybean was staying with Betty in her room while Jughead took Polly's old room for the time being. Charles had gone home to his own apartment so everybody was slowly heading towards bed.

Alice was happy to see Betty and Jughead having so much fun together, since they had been through a tough time together finding out they shared a brother. She still had to talk to her daughter about that, but they had just been avoiding that conversation when it was already exhausting enough to adjust to the new living situation.

The lovebirds and Jellybean had gone upstairs and FP was down at the place that used to be Hal's man cave. He decided it was a better idea to place a simple bed there then to sleep on the couch for god knows how long. His back had been complaining and otherwise the basement would just be a waste of space.

Alice was having the bedroom, which he didn't mind, but he at least could provide himself with a decent bed while sleeping down there. He had actually made it quit cozy with some pictures of his kids and the Serpents, so it would really be his room, and not just his bed in a place that once belonged to Hal.

There was a desk he could work on in case he needed to work over hours but still be at home for his kids. He had promised Jellybean to be home more often so he would keep that promise.

He was going through the closet he had put down there as well to get something comfortable to sleep in, when he heard footsteps coming downstairs. It was the sound of Alice's feet slowly coming down, he could distinguish that sound out of thousands.

He closed his closet, and looked at her already dressed in her pyjama's and silk robe. It was a surprise she came down here, since she hadn't done that before the past few weeks. He'd always thought because it would remind her to much of Hal, and he totally understood if it did.

She stood in front of him, arms crossed around her chest, looking sleepy but calm. ''You've done something nice with the place.'' She said politely, trying to make an easy conversation. FP looked around and nodded slowly. It had his touch, but something still didn't feel right about it.

"It's not ideal, but I tried to make it a little more comfortable.'' He answered, looking a bit awkward to her. He knew Alice wasn't down here to give him a compliment about the place, he knew she hated this room more than anyone else even if it had his pictures and personal stuff in it.

''It was beautiful.'' She softly blurted out. FP caught her eyes and frowned a little, not knowing what she was aiming to exactly. Alice let her arms fall along her body which suddenly made her look a lot more comfortable, like she didn't feel like she needed to protect herself.

''The song you did tonight. It was beautiful.'' She explained and gave him a soft smile like it was her rewarding him for his romantic gesture. The little smirk got back on his face and he smiled gratefully to her.

''I know you are trying, FP.'' Her voice was soft, almost unaudiable. He looked down at the floor and his eyes started to water even though he was fighting it. He indeed was trying, but the worst part was that he didn't had a clue how he had to try harder. He wanted her to show her how much he cared.

The ironic thing was that in his daily life he solved difficult police cases, but fixing his relationship with Alice was the hardest case he had ever had to solve.

''I thought it was enough for my kids to have faith in me, but I was wrong.'' He looked up again and his eyes full of tears crossed hers who were noticeably watery as well. FP took a step into her direction, having the urge to close more distance between them but also not wanting to overstep her boundaries.

''I couldn't care less if anyone in this town would give up on me, but with you it's different.'' Since she wasn't backing out he subconsciously took another two steps into her direction so their feet were almost touching.

Alice was fighting her tears, but one managed to slip out of the corner of her eyes. When she looked into his chocolate brown ones she saw that there was something deep down in FP that was damaged. She knew that he desperately tried to fix that part of him, but that she might be the last piece of the puzzle to actually fix it.

''Please have faith in me, Alice. Please have faith in us.'' His voice was almost desperate, begging her to let him in and to not give up on him. She had never seen him like this before. So vulnerable, so broken, ready to collapse right there in her arms if she would let him.

Her heart broke by the thought that he felt like she gave up on him just as much so many people in Riverdale had done before. From the moment she had picked him out of jail she had always believed he would get someplace good where he belonged, but she never thought that she was going to be a part of that place. She realised that maybe she was a bigger part of it than he ever dared to dream. 

Alice sniffed and smiled through her tears, not hiding the fact that his words touched her. The sleeve of her silk robe reached for his cheek and wiped away his tears. She kept it there after wiping it away and exposed a little more of her hand so their skins were touching.

''I have faith in you FP, more than you'll ever know.'' She whispered to him, a tear rolling down her cheek. He closed his eyes for a second and placed his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Alice placed her forehead to his, closing her eyes as well and just enjoying being so close to him for a second.

''Let's take us one step at the time, okay? If we are going to do this we have to do it right this time.'' She whispered, and opened her eyes to face him. One hand stayed on her waist while the other went to the crook of her neck, stroking her jaw with his thumb. ''We're going to do this right.'' He whispered and leant in to let their lips melt together.

When Alice woke up she was disappointed to feel an empty bed next to her. It had been her own decision to take things slow so she had nothing to complain about. It was difficult, but taking things slow also meant keeping whatever they were to themselves and not involve the kids. Sleeping in the same bed together would have to much risk for the kids to find out and they just weren't ready for that yet.

Every piece of her body had told her that she wanted FP close to her that night, but despite for that kiss nothing could happen. That also didn't really fit into the description of 'taking things slow' so they both had to keep their act together if they didn't want to make the same mistakes they did before.

Alice and FP had a lot of differences but there was one thing they were both extremely good at: not talking about their feelings and finding an unhealthy cope mechanism to deal with their thoughts.

When they were together it meant that they had sex a lot, but never had the real talk about where they stood. Now they weren't having sex in order to avoid that coping mechanism, but that was a very new way to deal with everything that was going on into their minds. This time they had to talk, and that was very difficult task for the both of them.

She looked at her alarmclock and saw that it was only 7am. Her mind was already loaded with thoughts about her and FP so she wouldn't fall asleep anymore. Her eyes begged for just a few minutes of sleep, but now she was awake she'd rather take the opportunity to make breakfast for her kids.

Especially since Jughead was home these days she wanted to make his favourites. They hadn't much in common but their love for breakfast in the morning was one thing they were both passionate about. She was glad she had at least one thing to bond over with the boyfriend of her daughter – and son of the man she was sorting things out with.

With her robe tightly draped around her she got downstairs, expecting an empty living room to only find FP in the kitchen already, pouring some milk into a bowl.

She stopped at the end of the stairs and admired the sight for a moment. The Joneses weren't morning persons, both FP, Jughead and Jellybean were the living proof of that. Apparently he had set his alarm to make some breakfast for everyone, which warmed her heart.

''Don't forget the eggs.'' Alice said, making him turn around by the sound of her sweet morning voice. She stood there with her arms crossed at the end of the stairs and a smirk on her face.

The moment he noticed her the corners of his mouth shot into the air, creating a smile on his sleepy face. His hair was messy and he was still wearing his pyjama's, so he hadn't been up for much longer than she had.

''Good morning.'' He said without taking his eyes of her, still stirring in the batter. She slowly got over to him and got on her tip toes to peck a kiss onto his lips. He smiled and bit his lip when she pulled back.

He had to fight the urge to lift her up the counter and make love to her right there and right now, but he reminded himself that they were taking things slow. Besides, if the kids would come down it would probably scar them for life, which didn't seem like a great idea.

''How did you sleep?'' He asked her while pouring the first batter into the frying pan. He swirled it around so it spread to the corners of the pan as well. Alice grabbed his other hand that was holding the end of the counter. She pulled his hand away and slowly played with his fingers before intertwining them together. 

''Good, but would have been better with you next to me.'' She admitted softly. It was a cute confession in his eyes because it wasn't something she wouldn't say that easily. He shared her feeling. He wanted nothing more than to hold her at night and feeling the warmth of her body against his, but it was just too early for that.

He poked her nose with his finger, making her giggle a little. ''I'd love that as well.'' He said, assuring her that the feeling was mutal. He wanted to kiss her again so he leant in and softly let his nose brush against his until he heard footsteps on the stairs. He took a step away from her, immediately breaking the hold of their hands.

Jellybean jumped from the last two stairs onto the ground and let out a big yawn. It was still early and she was still a teenager so that was the worst of combinations. FP had already made some coffee so he poured her some to make her feel a little more awake than she normally did.

''Here honey, I made pancakes. Have some.'' FP grabbed the frying pan and shoved the freshly backed pancake onto a plate and placed it in front of his daughter. She hesitated for a second and looked at the two adults in front of her.

''Didn't Alice make breakfast today?'' Alice had trouble holding back her laugh knowing that Jellybean was questioning her dad's cooking skills.

''First try them, then judge them.'' Jellybean frowned but still took a piece and discovered that they weren't that awful to her surprise but they definitely couldn't live up to Alice's pancakes.

Alice looked at his face and scrunched her nose while laughing. He send her a smirk that didn't go unnoticed by the teenager. Just before she wanted to make a comment about her dad and the woman that was living with them sudden closeness the front door opened and someone poked his head into the living room.

Alice's face lit up when she saw that it was their son, already dressed in his business clothes which fitted him very well. He smiled as well when he saw three pair of eyes going his way.

''Did someone order home-made muffins by any chance?'' Jellybean immediately got up from her chair, grabbing the paper bag out of his hands. Charles laughed at the little girl and petted her shoulder. ''Hi to you to, Jellybean.''

FP looked at the exchange of food happening in front of him and his daughter shoving his pancake to the side. While Jellybean shoved a big chocolate muffin onto her plate her eyes crossed her dads who looked at it with disbelief. ''Sorry, dad, you really need to get some cooking lessons.'' She said while taking a bite of the muffin.

Alice started laughing again so FP looked at Charles for support. He put his hands up in the air and took a step backwards. ''I don't want to be a part of this.'' He chuckled while taking a seat next towards his little sister. FP shook his head and pretended to be disappointed. He turned down the stove and took a seat across of Charles. ''Well, hand me one of those muffins then.''

Charles handed everyone the muffins he had made himself on his day off while Alice poured herself another cup of coffee. Her eyes shot to the clock on the wall and noticed that first period was about the get started.

''Honey, aren't you a little late?'' Alice asked her. The girl was still enjoying her not so healthy breakfast while her eyes travelled at the clock as well. When she noticed she had only fifteen minutes to get her ass into her seat at her biology class.

''Shit, I am going to be late.'' With her mouth full she quickly grabbed her bag and searched for the keys of her bike in there. ''Let me give you a ride, kiddo.'' Charles offered politely.

Jellybean immediately stopped searching and let out of sigh of relief. They both grabbed their jackets, ready to leave. ''Can we put on the sirens?'' Charles chuckled and shook his head.

''I am afraid we can't.'' The girl complained while FP and Alice laughed about her comment. They were happy to see that Jellybean and Charles already bonded already and seemed comfortable with each other.

''I'll be back in a minute, then we can go to Pop's.'' Charles quickly poked his head out assure FP that he hadn't forgot about their meeting.

They walked over to the door and waved at Jellybean. The teenager sat in the front of Charles' car with a big grin on her face. She was probably going to make a lot of her friends jealous about her ride in a real FBI car.

FP closed the front door and when he turned around Alice started fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He chuckled and barely grazed her hips with his fingers.

''You know, I never rewarded you for your performance at the Open Mic night.'' She said with a grin on her face. He played with the fabric of her silk robe around her waist and raised one of his eye brows.

Alice took a step backwards and untied the knob of robe so it wouldn't be tightly fit around her body anymore. Her hands grabbed both sides of the silk and opened it so her body would be fully exposed.

His eyes almost bulged out of his head when she revealed her black lace lingerie set that she had definitely putted on that morning just to drive him crazy. She devilishly smirked at him and if he had given in to his animalistic instinct he had taken her upstairs to show her what she was doing to him.

Before he could even answer or process his thoughts properly the front door opened again so Alice quickly wrapped her robe around her trying to hide the body she was just showing the father of the girl that was standing in the front door opening again. FP looked around him, realising now that his daughter was standing behind him.

She stood still for a moment noticing the tension that was hanging around them. ''Forget my notebook.'' She clarified the reason why she was coming back into the house. Jellybean walked back into the living room followed by FP and Alice. They waved at her again while she sprinted back to Charles's car who was already honking as a sign she should hurry up.

Alice giggles as soon as soon as she heard Jellybean closing the front door again. FP walked over to her playfully pointing his finger at her. ''You almost get as caught there.'' He chuckled and kissed her lips softly. When she pulled back she had a big smile on her face, looking at the incredibly sexy man in front of her who still hadn't changed out of his night wear.

''Are you nervous?'' She asked softly, stroking his upper arm, already knowing the answer. He nodded and only confirmed what she was thinking. He twirled a piece of her hair through his fingers and placed it behind her hair.

''I've thought about a thousand things I could say to him, but nothing really describes the feeling of having him into our lives.'' He softly admitted. Alice smiled slightly and placed a hand on his chest, gently rubbing the place where his heart is.

''You'll see how much he is like you. He has been dying to get to know you better. We just couldn't.'' She tried to hide the crack in her voice when she thought back of the times she and Charles had talked about him.

The moment FP had turned Alice down in his office the other day it became even harder when Charles started asking about his father again. He knew it would risk his mission, but knowing that at the end of the road he would finally meet his dad as well was something that got him going.

''I am still getting used to the fact that we have a grown-up son walking around. '' He chuckled slightly and shook his head in disbelief. Alice knew she didn't really give him the chance yet to talk about everything that went down with Charles, starting with her getting pregnant and ending with the FBI investigation.

''Well, you should get ready to meet him.'' Alice smiled and pecked his lips again. FP walked downstairs to the basement while she stared at him, even when he already gotten out of sight.

\--

Charles was already sitting in a booth when he saw FP walking into Pop's. He waved politely to him and when he noticed he walked over to the place in the middle of the diner with a slight smile on his face.

He had already ordered two milkshakes. A vanilla for himself and a chocolate one for FP. He noticed that FP looked a little bit uncomfortable which made sense because he they hadn't got the chance yet to talk properly. He was just as nervous, but Charles was trained in not showing it.

FP took a seat across of his son and couldn't hide a smile looking into the blue eyes that reminded him so much of Alice. He was dressed in his business clothes, which somehow gave FP a proud feeling inside.

It was hard to realise he never could have been there for him growing up, but the fact that he got there all by himself was exactly the thing that made him so proud.

''Thank you for making time for me.'' FP smiled, not knowing what to say. He had made up scenario's in his head the last few weeks about what to tell or ask him the moment the two of them would be alone but out all of the thousand things he thought of he remembered none of them. There was just a huge black-out in his like he for the first time realised he really had another son.

''I am glad you are making time for me as well.'' Charles confessed and smiled slightly. For him things were no different.

He had grown up knowing that his parents gave him up which caused him to have serious abandoning and commitment issues throughout his whole life. Every boy or girlfriend he ever had in his life he shut down before it got too serious. He was too scared people would get tired of him, just like the sisters told him about his parents. It was hard for him too believe that he really had found his way back to them and that they really wanted him to be a part of his life.

There was a silence that was almost awkward. FP had folded his hands together and looked down at them, trying his best to collect all his courage and talk about what he was feeling. ''You know, I've been thinking a lot about what I could say to you.'' FP started nervously. His eyes had shifted from his hands towards the eyes of his son.

''And even when saying the right thing isn't actually my specialty, I realised that no words could ever describe how grateful I am that you are giving us a chance to be a part of your life.'' His eyes started to water and Charles had trouble fighting his tears as well.

One of Charles not so famous talents was hiding his emotions and shoving them aside, which was a quality he definitely got from both his parents. The fact that FP opened up to him was something that needed to happen before Charles could do the same.

He had been protective over his own feelings since no one else had done it for him his whole life. He had to take care of his own but maybe from now on that wasn't the case anymore.

''I never thought I'd get here one day. For a long time drinking milkshakes with my dad was just an imaginary scenario I could only ever dream of.'' He said softly making it harder for FP to not let his tears stream down his cheeks.

Every part of him wished he would have been there through every phase of his life. He wouldn't chance having Jughead and Jellybean for the world but there was a big feeling of guilt about the fact that he hadn't been there for Charles, even though he didn't know he existed. It had always felt like it was his own fault that he didn't knew about a son. He had always imagined that things could have been so different if he hadn't been a jerk to her in senior year.

''I know life has handed me some shitty cards but I believe all of that had to happen to let me end up here with you guys, and I wouldn't change that for the world.'' FP smiled and placed his hand on that of his son for a moment, telling him that he completely understood his feeling.

FP was hesitant on telling him about his past, but if he was going to know about it someday he wanted Charles to hear it from himself. They shouldn't start off with secrets.

''Maybe it's a blessing you haven't met me before. For a long time I was a rotten father. I certainly couldn't live up to the hero imagine you probably dreamt of.'' He stirred his straw through his milkshake, which was still untouched. He wasn't hungry and the not in his stomach didn't long for a milkshake either even though the chocolate one was his favourite.

''Both your kids seem to adore you.'' It sounded more like a question, since he only had met the guy who was protective and loving towards his kids. He couldn't see why he should think that about himself.

''Well, I- I struggled with addiction for a long time. My wife left and took Jellybean with her. Things got worse and Jughead left as well, I almost dragged him down with me, which is my biggest regret.'' He started explaining. He wasn't at all proud of it, but he didn't want Charles to think his life had always been this perfect.

''Even though Gladys leaving was a blessing in disguise I'll never forgive myself for make them go through that.'' It was hard for FP to admit all that, but if Charles was letting him into his life he thought he should know everything about him, which includes the darker times of his life.

There was a silence for a moment where in Charles felt like he had to come clear as well. He had learned to talk about it in therapy, but that didn't make it less difficult to open up about it. ''You uhm- You are not alone in that. I've been struggling as well. It's the reason I got involved with Chic in the first place.'' FP looked into his eyes again, finding a bit of comfort knowing that he wasn't being judged by living with his addiction.

It wasn't really a thing you wanted to have in common with someone, certainly not with your son, but it was one of the first time that he didn't get strange looks when he told someone about his past. Even the people who knew him as someone who was drunk twenty-four-seven but also have seen him recover wouldn't get that image out of their head. Once an addict, always an addict. That's what they said about him.

''And how are you coping with it now?'' FP asked him curiously, knowing that he could ask him that and maybe give him some advice. Even though he hadn't drank for a very long time, sometimes it was hard to fight the urge to just crack open one bottle.

''I've been clean for over five years now. I felt like I had found my purpose in life when I got the chance to become an FBI agent and that gave me the strength to stop using. It was my only shot in getting rid of it, so I did.'' Charles became more and more comfortable sharing his story with FP.

It was a great feeling of having someone who had walked a rough path in life as well but got back onto his feet. Charles went from a young addicted orphan to a FBI agent with a family. FP went from a unemployed addicted Serpent King to a well-respected Sheriff living on the North Side of town, away from his toxic marriage. It had been difficult road, but those roads led them to where they were today. It was almost a mircale that they made it.

''That couldn't have been easy.'' FP said the obvious, being impressed by his story. He knew like no other that overpowering your addiction was something you didn't do in a day but probably something the both of them would be struggling with for the rest of their lives.

''It wasn't, but if that didn't happen I wouldn't have traced down Alice. And without that I wouldn't have met all of you. Maybe it was meant to be this way.'' He said softly. FP nodded in agreement. They couldn't turn back time and maybe that was for the best. It didn't help to think about the past when they had a future they should think about instead.

''Just thinking of the fact that we missed so many years together when you were at the Sisters...'' FP struggled with his words he looked down at a spot on the table, having trouble looking him into his eyes. Charles helped him out and started talking. ''What's in the past is in the past. Alice and I talked a lot about it and I am trying to leave it behind me. I want to look at the time we do have together.''

FP nodded slightly and tried to give him a smile. It was going to take a long time before he would actually leave the feeling of his guilt go and he was going to need Alice for that. It was time for them to have a serious heart to heart talk about the situation with them suddenly having a kid together. 

''I hope that once you are ready we could maybe do some father and son stuff. If you are open to doing that with me. There's no pressure. I know I'd love to.'' He almost looked shy asking his son this because he wasn't sure if he could ever see him as his father. From the moment he saw him he knew he'd always look at him at his son, but he wasn't sure that went the other way around.

''So you are saying arresting the leader of an organ harvesting cult together isn't your typical father-son activity?'' Charles joked and finally took the first sip of his milkshake. FP laughed and shook his head. The joke definitely released some tension, which was a good thing. ''Well, let's say it's a start.'' FP joked back to him .

''What do you think of going for a ride anytime soon? You know some beautiful places we can go to around here, right?'' Charles offered, which warmed FP's heart. Riding his motorbike was one of his favourite things to do even though he hadn't done it for way too long.

''I definitely do. It's a deal.'' FP smiled grateful and got a smile back that was just as equally as happy. It was just the beginning, but they both felt they were getting there someday.

It was a cloudy day outside and the leaves were already falling onto the streets. Autumn had definitely began and the wind that was going through the town proofed it. It was definitely a mirror to how Alice was feeling today, because she was walking towards the cemetery with a numb feeling inside.

Her black coat was draped around her tightly and she had wrapped a white scarf around her neck to protect her from the icy wind.

Her hair hang loose around her face and she hadn't put that much make-up on today. It was if she woke up that morning and realised that there happened so much the last two years. Her son was back into her life and she was rekindling her romance with FP, which seemed very unlikely for such a long time.

She remembered finding out she was pregnant and being devastated when she saw the plus sign on the test. That seventeen year old girl was expecting a child from the guy she wasn't even in an official relationship with, she had no plan on how to handle it and above that all she had no friends.

There was just one time she was close to telling someone she knew she could trust, but she backed out because she was scared of being judged. If only she had known he was the last one to judge her.

And now? Now he suddenly wasn't there anymore. She didn't have time to properly grief the fact that the only guy that ever tried to listen to her and lived next doors to her for over twenty years was now gone.

They hadn't always been on the same page but deep down she knew Fred looked out for her, that was just the kind of guy he was. She may have snapped to him a few times, but he never became less kind to her.

Fred Andrews looked out for everyone and always believed in the good in people. Maybe if everyone had been more like Fred the town would have looked completely different. People would actually care for each other.

It was just a small gesture but she brought flowers to bring over to his grave since she hadn't found the courage to visit him before. He had been gone for over a few months now but it was like it had just hit her that morning. She noticed that the little things that didn't seem to matter that much suddenly where a lot bigger than she ever realised.

They got a Betty and Archie just weeks apart from each other and she remembered bringing Betty over to the Andrews house to meet Archie for the very first time. It was just a short meeting but they had shared a look full of exhaustion but with the biggest smiles on their faces.

It wasn't a surprise Betty and Archie turned out to be best friends, so there were a lot of times they played together in one of their gardens and Fred having to drag Archie home to have some dinner or go to bed.

Things slowly changed when the kids got older and didn't need supervision anymore and Alice's marriage became more and more controlling. The more power Hal had over her, the more she took distance from everyone around her, including Fred and Mary. She had regretted pushing them away now since she had no chance anymore to make up for it.

All Fred ever cared about was being kind towards each other and supporting each other's kids on their big moments like they used to do when they were little. Now there was no time in making up for that. Fred Andrews was gone and she never thought she wouldn't have a chance to tell him how much she appreciated him as her neighbour and friend.

She looked at his grave stone and let her tears fall over her cheeks. In her hands were a bouquet of daisies. It were the exact same flowers he had send to her house the day Polly was born. She remembered coming home totally exhausted and being greeted by a big beautiful bouquet of white flowers.

She brought the daisies down and she carefully placed it on the ground. All she could do was just stare at his name on the stone, hoping it would change and it all suddenly wouldn't be true anymore.

She looked up and scanned the cemetery but there was no one except for her. She had never been there before and she hated the fact that she now did. Because of the chills this place gave her she wanted to leave, but her eyes fell onto a grave stone not that far away from Fred's.

Hal's name was on it including his birth day and the day he had died. She felt her feet bringing her over to the stone like she didn't have control over her body. The only thing that calmed down the heat on her cheeks was the wind stroking along it. The closer she came the more it occurred to her that it really was the tombstone of her ex-husband.

She just stood there in complete silence, looking at the flowers that someone had placed on them. It were peonies, in every colour she could think of. The bright colours hurt her eyes and made her fill with rage. Someone had the courage to place these on his grave while he was the reason so many people in this town had suffered, herself included.

This was the grave of the man that had made her give up her son, forced her daughter to give her babies up as well and mentally and psychically tortured their youngest child. He had broken so many families in Riverdale in a short amount of time while he slowly ruined theirs for over twenty-five years.

Having Charles and FP back into her life made her realise how much he had taken from her. She's had got a taste of what her life could be like if she hadn't married Hal and for the first time in her life she had felt a feeling of genuine happiness. He had taken that from her.

The anger that was building up inside her came out in an outburst and she started tearing the flowers on his grave apart. With every piece of strength that she had in her she teared the flowers in the most tiniest pieces she thought was possible while there came uncontrollable screams and sobs out of her mouth.

Her vision was blurry because of the tears floating out of her eyes. She stuck her nails into the grass and scratched it until her hands where full of dirt. She wanted to destroy his last resting place because it felt like it was the only thing she could actually hit him with even though he wasn't alive anymore. He destroyed her, so she would destroy the last piece of him that was left on this earth.

She wasn't the only one who had the idea of visiting Fred's grave today. FP had entered the territory and walked over to Fred's resting place to lay down a few roses. He came there more often lately and sometimes even talked to him about what was happening in the town, how Archie was doing and how he got his life back on track.

He had asked him a few times if he would be proud of him now he got his life together again, but Fred couldn't answer anymore. Somehow it was way easier to open up to him now he couldn't say something back but it made a thousand times more painful as well.

Fred had checked up on him when he was trying to quit drinking and he was one of the reasons he actually succeeded in doing so. FP wanted him to know that even if he couldn't hear him anymore. Bringing him flowers was something he did occasionally, making sure there was always something colorful and bright on his grave.

FP walked over to the gravestone until his eyes fell onto the woman not far away, tearing the flowers on someone's grave apart. He had seen that jacket before and besides that he would recognize her everywhere.

''Alice?'' He asked himself in disbelief. Like it was an instinct inside of him he ran over to her and kneeled behind her immediately wrapping his arms around her, pushing her to his chest. She was a lot stronger than he thought because he had to use all his strength to keep Alice in his grip and make sure she wouldn't be able to touch the grave anymore. She was trembling in his arms and cried uncontrollably still fighting to break free from his embrace.

Her hands where just under his arms not being able to reach for the flowers or the grass anymore. His head was on her left shoulder and he tried to shush her with soft sounds. ''Alice, it's me. Try to breathe, okay?''

Her cries went like a knife through his heart and it wasn't until now that he noticed that they were sitting at Hal's gravestone. She tried to say something but her breathing wasn't under control yet. The smell of his leather jacket made her calm down just a little bit just as much as the warmth of his embrace.

Her arms had given up to fight against his grip and he felt her relax more and more while she was letting out every tear that was being kept over so long. He kissed her temple and closed his eyes, still holding his arms around her. ''It's okay.'' He whispered calmly.

When he opened his eyes again he noticed that her hands where full of dirt from digging into the earth. Her sobs became more quiet and the moment he was sure she wasn't going to attack the grave again he slolwy let go of the grip he had on her arms and gently intertwined her with dirt covered fingers with his own, squeezing them while she leant back against his chest.

They were sitting there on their knees, her back against his chest. The cotton of her jacket pressing against the leather of his jacket. His arms were wrapped around her tightly and his head was nuzzled in the crook of her neck giving her a soft kiss on there. Her eyes were closed while she hold onto his hands for dear life.

\--

Alice had stayed home all day, processing everything that happened at the cemetery just a few hours ago. It had scared her that something had taken over her when she damaged Hal's gravestone and the emotions that had gone through her was something that needed time to be properly processed.

She was wearing her salmon coloured robe again, her hair loose against her face and her legs curled up infront of her placed on her bed. She was resting against her pillows while her mind had drifted off to what happened that afternoon. FP snapped her out of her thoughts when he came into her bed room with a cup of chamomile tea to make her feel better.

She smiled gratefully and took the cup of tea while he took a seat next to her on the bed, placing his hand on her lower leg, softly stroking it. ''Are you okay?'' He asked carefully. She gestured for his hand so he accepted it and she immediately felt better when she felt the warmth of his hand touching hers.

''For now I am.'' She answered him truthfully. It was going to take a long time to accept the fact that her life had been like this but the fact that she couldn't change the past was something she had trouble accepting.

''Do we need to talk about what happened?'' He didn't know if she wanted to share some of her thoughts with him because he knew she was just as overwhelmed about what happened as he was. She looked down at their intertwined fingers and knew she had to. He was a part of her and if she wanted them to work this time she needed to let him help her get through it.

''We do. And we will. For now there are just a few things you need to know.'' Alice sat up so her feet where in contact with the floor again. She wrapped her other hand around her cup of tea as well and thinking of what she was going to tell him already made her tear up.

Alice got up from her bed and placed her cup on the windowsill. Her back was facing him now and she was staring out of the window while the moonlight shone on her face.

''Seeing his name on that gravestone...'' Alice started quietly. FP hadn't moved from the bed but just waited for her to tell him what she needed to get off her chest.

''It made me realise how most of my life has been a big lie. I ran away from the web of the South side I thought I was stuck in to just ran into the next web that caught me. All my life I have been running away from things. And for what? I really don't know.''

She sniffed and turned around to face FP who was tearing up as well. He hated seeing her like this and it made him regret the way he as behaving in high school even more. He could have saved her from the North side only for her to still feel like she was stuck on the Southside. There wasn't a good outcome here.

''I can't live in a big lie anymore. I wasted so many years doing that, it has to be over now.'' Her voice was broken and FP had slowly gotten up from the bed, looking her directly into her eyes. The moonlight was beautiful on her face and it made it even more clear that her eyes where full of tears.

''I can't do things halfway. It has to be everything.'' A tear slipped down her cheek while she looked straight into his brown eyes. She was afraid for the question she was about to ask him, but it was something that needed to be done. If this wasn't going to work out than she needed for the Band-Aid to be ripped of right away. She wasn't going to waste her time on something that wasn't real.

''So when it comes down to us, what's it going to be?'' Her voice was trembling from her nerves. Every piece of her body told her that this was a goodbye, that he never could give her what she was asking for or that it was just too much all at once for him. She was asking an ultimatum, something she had never done before with them for her heart to get crushed in the end anyway. This time it felt like it wasn't going to be different.

FP's lips trembled as well and she took a step into her direction, holding her lower-arms into his hands, making sure she was looking at him. The moonlight reflected in his eyes now just like it did in hers, but she couldn't read his thoughts.

''Everything.'' He whispered almost inaudible. Her eyes lit up but she wasn't sure she heard him correctly. ''It's going to be everything.'' He confirmed with his soft voice. His arms had snaked around her waist pulling her lower body closer to his.

Their foreheads were resting against each other while they closed their eyes, a smile creeping on Alice's face. "It is?" She whispered shyly. He opened his eyes and nodded slowly. "It is."

He leant in to let their lips meet in a passionate kiss, brushing his tongue against her bottom lip to give himself access to her mouth.

Before she deepened the kiss she took a step backwards, slowly reaching for the not in her robe. His eyes followed every piece of her movements, not wanting to rush anything. She slowly pulled on the string letting her robe fall open and slowly slid it of her shoulders.

Her white lace lingerie was now exposed to him and he thought he had never seen a woman that beautiful as the woman standing in front of him. The white lace bra fitted her breasts perfectly and that thin fabric of her panties was incredibly sexy to him.

She walked over to him and gently pushed him down on the bed so he was sitting in the same spot as before. She placed her knees to the sides of his body so she was straddling him and pressed her upper body close to him, making sure her breasts were close to his face.

She started to play with the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it up and pushed it over his head so his torso was now exposed to her. His eyes caught the Serpent tattoo on her thigh and he slowly brought his finger over to the scar, letting it touch the green ink.

He traced the snake with his index finger whilst she did the same with his serpent tattoo on the left side of his chest. She had never paid that much attention to it before but she realised the snakes where identical, even though they didn't get them together. It was if it was proof of the fact that they were finally in the place they needed to be.

The touch of her fingers on the side of his chest gave him a shiver through his body so he squeezed her thigh as a response. He brought her a little closer to his body by placing his hands on her lower back and pushing her to the front, making her breasts press against his chest. He pressed small kisses on them, making sure they would get the attention they deserved.

Her left hand slowly went over to her bra strap, pushing them down bit for bit. He looked up from marking her breasts with little love bites and understood where she was going. One of FP's hand was still placed on her back and the other one grabbed the opposite strap and gently pushed it down as well. They were taking their time, knowing that they were going to have the rest of their lives to experience moments like this.

When her arm was free from the strap he unclipped her bra as the last move to free her breasts from the tight embrace of the lace fabric.

He threw the piece of underwear garment to the side and pulled her as close as humanly possible. He loved the way she looked in lace underwear, but the feeling of her bare chest pressing against his was something he enjoyed way more.

Their eyes locked and he was asking her for her consent in just a blink of an eye. Her hands wrapped around his neck and she pulled his head closer to hers, finally letting their lips meet again. It didn't last long for FP to bite her bottom lip, make room for his tongue to gently stroke against hers.

She felt his arousal through the denim of his jeans and just grinded a little bit more to drive him insane. It seemed to be working because he growled and placed his hands on her ass to lift her up a bit to flip them. He gently place her down on the mattress, her head resting on the soft pastel coloured pillows.

He hovered over her and broke free from their kiss just a second to admire her. He smiled like a fool who had fallen in love for the first time and she gave the smile back he loved so much. He kissed her once again and slowly discovered every inch of her body with his hands.

He was going to take his sweet time with her to make sure every piece of her body was going to get the attention it asked for and deserved. This time they weren't in a rush, knowing that from now on they would have the rest of their lives together.

Alice woke up the moment she felt the sun shining through the curtain right onto her face. There was a warm feeling wrapped around her body she wasn't familiar with anymore. To her pleasure she discovered the man she was now officially together with close to her body. She laid on her back and found his arm wrapped around her waist. His hair was still messy from the night before from when her fingers had been tugging on it.

The corners of her mouth subconsciously shot up high and formed a big smile on her face. She still had to process the fact that she was going to wake-up next to him every day now. His breathing was low and slow so it was clear the he was in a very deep sleep. 

Her fingers traced the arm that was around her, softly brushing his skin. The sudden touch of her tickling fingers was a wake-up call for his body. He started to shift and even pulled her body closer to him, prepping a soft kiss on her shoulder, not opening his eyes yet.

''Good morning, you.'' The smile on her face was still there and she tickled his arm even more to make sure he was going to wake up anytime soon. If she had the time she could spend all day in bed with him just snuggling together, but the kids would get downstairs for breakfast anytime soon and they still didn't want to take the risk to get caught.

He stirred and inhaled deeply, finally opening his eyes to look into her ocean blue ones who had been staring at him for over a five minutes now. There immediately appeared a smirk on his face, remembering how they had ended up here.

He realised she was finally his, even after all those times he had screwed up with her. All the odds had been against them but there they were lying in bed together, completely naked and being the happiest they could ever be.

''A very good morning.'' He said smiling and got up a little to softly kiss her. The fact that he finally got to do that every other morning was making him looking forward to waking up every day, when for a long time he wished he'd never woke up again.

Before they could take things further they got interrupted by the sound of Alice's phone which started buzzing on her night stand. She got up and wrapped the sheets around her chest, making sure she was covered.

''Hello?'' The number was anonymous and she had no idea who would call her that early in the morning besides someone who had a juicy story for her to cover for the local news station. She expected someone to ask her to come somewhere in the town. She was ready to get out of bed and get dressed and jump into her car, but to her surprise it was someone else.

''May I ask you why, exactly?'' Her voice sounded a little bit annoyed to the person on the other line. FP was still lying down onto the pillows with his hands supporting his head, watching the woman on the phone but not paying attention to the conversation she was having. He was way too distracted by her exposed bare back.

''Fine, we'll be there.'' She answered a little confused and hang up the phone. FP had almost fell asleep again, but Alice didn't let him. She turned her head around and looked right into his eyes with a little annoyed look on her face. ''You'll never guess who just called.''

\---

Just an hour later the two of them were sitting into a booth of Pops not knowing what to expect. Alice hadn't ordered anything while FP needed a coffee in order to wake up. He just as much didn't have a clue about what the reason was they asked them over here and he had almost refused to go. 

He didn't actually felt like having to talk with the two people in Riverdale who did him wrong so many times on his day off, but Alice made him go since she didn't want to be there alone.

The door of Pop's tinkled with the familiar sound of the little bell and Riverdale's most hated couple walked into the diner. Hermione's eyes crossed those of Alice and if she was right she just saw a little bit of anxiety into her eyes. The four of them had a cold expression on their faces when Hermione and Hiram took they seat across of FP and Alice.

''Alice, FP.'' Hiram nodded at them, not even giving them a handshake which didn't seem like the best move looking at their history. It was a secret that they weren't each other's biggest fan – the opposite actually.

FP wasn't in the mood for pretended small talk so he unfolded the arm that was resting on the booth around Alice and clapping his hands together, leaning a bit forwards. ''What's the deal?'' He said to get straight to the point. He knew Hermione and Hiram wanted something from him so they had to cut the crap and just tell them what they needed.

''We need a favour.'' Hermione started carefully. FP immediately arched his eye brow and he had to poke his tongue into his cheek to not laugh right in her face. After everything that has happened she really thought she could ask him a favour. His son almost died because of her husband and now those exact two people needed something from him. It was almost ironic.

Alice had crossed her arms and waited for them to explain themselves, she wasn't going to ask anything before she had seen them vulnerable. Maybe she could laugh into their faces later. The expression on her face was just as much annoyed as the one of the man next to her and she had to fight the urge to not roll her eyes, get up and leave the diner. 

''Our marriage has been... challenging, but we have to put our differences aside in order to safe Lodge industries.'' Hiram began to explain the story that needed to be told before they would understand the favour they needed. Alice took a sip of her coffee in amusement, having the two of them begging for something at their feet. ''Surprising.'' She mumbled just loud enough for them to hear.

''In order to save the company I need to remain as mayor. That's where I need your help, Alice.'' Hermione drifted her attention towards Alice, who still wasn't impressed. There was no reason for her to help them in any way so she wasn't planning to. She actually pitied Hermione, but she wasn't going to help her as long as it was all for her husband.

''Actually, we need your son's help as well. We've heard he got promoted to a higher function at the FBI after closing the Evernever case. Am I right?'' Hiram added to that, now having full attention of both FP and Alice. It was a different story now they wanted something from their son and it suddenly became clear why the both of them had to come to Pop's.

''Why is that any of your business?'' FP asked suspicious, not wanting his son to be involved with the Lodge's in any way. Hiram and Hermione shared a look, knowing that now the serious part of the conversation was starting. It was obvious that they had talked about a strategy because it almost looked like they studids lines and discussed about who was going to say what part of the story.

''Well, our records have been... well, let's say we have one that's doesn't go unnoticed by any government.'' Hermione started to explain carefully. She wasn't proud of the things that she had done but right now Lodge Industries going bankrupt meant her living on the streets as well so just for her own and her daughters sake she was going to get through this.

''We need Charles to clean them. He is in the position to do that.'' Hiram finally came straight to the point. Alice furrowed her eye brow, almost wanting to ask him if he was insane. She knew Charles was in the power to do that, since he had done it for Alice, FP, Betty and Jughead as well in the shady guy case. They got immunity for that when Alice started working undercover for them, which was one of her only wishes before she gave in before she collaborated with them.

''Do you really have the guts to come ask us that? We don't care about your company in any kind of way.'' FP scoffed, feeling almost insulted by the fact that they wanted to use their son for the sake of a corrupt company to keep existing.

Hiram folded his hands together and nodded slightly. Of course he had thought about it. ''We already thought you wouldn't see any reason to grand us this favour.'' FP cut him off for a moment when he wasn't done talking yet. ''You thought right.'' He started to get furious because of the arrogance Hiram had to even think they would consider it while in fact they would throw a party for the whole damn town the moment Lodge industries would finally collapse.

''So we are making you a deal here. If you get your son to clear our files, Hermione and I will make sure that you'll keep your job as a Sheriff. She's still the mayor and put you in this position in the first place. We all know the deal you made in order to get job, so I think this is a pretty generous deal we are offering you.''

FP leant back into the cushions and clenches his fists together, having to fight the urge to punch Hiram right on his jaw until he was unconscious. Alice saw his knuckles getting white and they quickly shared a look both of them not knowing what to say. The deal was pretty clear. If FP wanted his life to stay the way it was he had to get his son that far to clear the files of the Lodge's.

\--

Alice nervously walked around in the living room biting her nails to release some of her nerves. FP smacked his Sheriff badge through the living room, making it hit the wall with a big bang. His hands foiled through his hair and he inhaled deeply, trying not to panic. 

He couldn't lose his job now, not after how hard he fought to have his life were it is now. It felt like this job was one of the reasons he had his life together and losing it would mean going back to living in a trailer and disappointing his children once again. His heart already broke just by the thought of it.

''Listen, we are not going to give into the Lodges, okay? We are not letting us blackmail. I think we have to share this with Charles.'' Alice suddenly stated like she suddenly realised that they were strong enough to fight the most corrupt family in Riverdale.

FP immediately looked up by the mention of Charles and he shook his head decisively. The last thing he wanted was for any of his kids being dragged into this. ''We are absolutely not.'' He stated like there was no discussion possible. 

Alice sighed at him being stubborn as ever. If they would ask Charles for advice they may have an opening to find a loop hole and get out of the Lodges ultimatum and if they didn't FP would have to give up his job.

''Do you have a better idea?'' She scoffed. He had always been good in ignoring someone else's plan but didn't know how to fix it himself. It always had been difficult for him to ask for help and he certainly wasn't going to do that now. It was his problem. Not Alice's and not Charles'. He had to solve this himself.

''I am not going to drag Charles into this!'' He yelled in his rage. Alice was taken aback by his sudden outburst and took a step away from him. When he saw that he got out of line he tried to calm himself down and tried to get his breath under control.

''I've made that mistake with Jughead and Jellybean already. I am not doing that this time. He could lose his job if we involve him. I am not going to be the guy that screws up my son's life after just having him into my life.'' He said calmly, the hurt obviously noticeable in his voice. He looked down into the ground, poking his tongue into his mouth to remain himself from crying.

Alice had teared up as well, wanting nothing more than to tell him everything would be fine, but she couldn't promise that because she didn't if it would. She now understood his aversion towards the idea of telling Charles about the Lodges offer, because he felt like screwing up with his son already.

''FP...'' She managed to get out, tears almost falling out of her eyes. Her emotions overwhelmed her now she wasn't in control of the situation. FP was right. If Charles was helping them it would mean he had to commit fraud which would risk him losing his job. All of that was in exchange of FP keeping his job so he felt responsible for the position they were in now.

''I'll be at the station.'' He cut her off, and turned around without saying another word. He picked up his jacket and grabbed his car keys, not even waiting for Alice to tell him to come back. For now he needed time to think things through and he wanted to do that by himself.

\--

On his way to the station he changed his mind and turned around towards the place he needed to be right now. It was a long shot, but he knew the soft spot of the Lodges, or at least to one of them and if he was lucky he was able to just break the wall of their empire just one by one.

He parked his car in front of the Pembrooke, knowing that Hermione's office was still in there. She was probably working her ass off to make sure she was going to be mayor again, even if it meant blackmailing him and his family. Their history was everything but a fairy-tale, considering the fact that after Hiram went to jail she had to finish his shady business, including his deal with the Serpents.

Above that they had made a deal before where FP got his spot as the new Sheriff in town in exchange for the fact that he had to shot Hiram. He agreed on that because to him becoming Sheriff was a step closer to saving the South side and with that saving his family. 

He needed that job to better his life even if it meant he had to start it with a crime. Not that he considered shooting a corrupt CEO of a company that destroyed the town as a crime, but the law did that anyway.

They had both used each other for things the both of them weren't actually proud of, but all those choices and agreements had involved around one man: Hiram Lodge. Maybe the man that made them enemies in the first place could bring them closer together as well. For now it was the only shot he had to get out his grip.

He had knocked just once on her door and didn't wait for her to answer. Even if there were people in her office right now it didn't look suspicious for the Sheriff to visit the mayor once in a while. Hermione looked surprised when she looked into the eyes of FP Jones and she immediately felt guilty.

Without asking he took the seat opposite from her and folded his hands together. She already knew he was going to say something so she placed down her pen and curiously looked at him.

''Look, Hermione. I know you dislike being in this situation just as much as I do. Hiram has been dragging you down into his shady deals from day one, and you can't escape it.'' He started calmly, not even blinking while looking into her eyes.

He caught her a little of guard but Hermione was a master in not showing it. She had a poker face not many people could read, but in this case FP definitely could. Not because he knew her that well, but because he knew how she really felt about this situation.

''And from what I saw this afternoon? You don't want to save the company. You want to save your life.'' FP knew exactly what he was saying and how much he was right. Something he'd never forget was the way she had looked so hopeless when she had to handle the money Hiram owed the Serpents. There was no love in that relationship, just surviving.

''So let me make deal for you, Hermione.'' He began calmly. Unlike their meeting in Pop's he was the one in charge now and it almost gave him a good feeling that he was going to offer her a way out even when she didn't really deserve it. 

He knew what it was like to be trapped in a toxic marriage and if he had the chance to get someone out of that as well, he would grab it. Not because he owed her that, but because nobody deserved to be trapped in Hiram Lodge's web.

''What's your offer?'' She answered hesitatently, not wanting to let him know that he got her full attention. She wasn't sure FP was coming with a solution because right now she didn't saw her way out anymore. Her only way to survive was the save the company and remain as mayor.

''Let's say we join our powers. There's just one thing we both hate more than anything else and that's your not so beloved husband.'' He said the obvious. If there was a reason FP and Hermione would set their differences apart it was to take down the man that made their life miserable.

Hermione sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. ''Look, FP, It's not that easy. I can't escape him, I can't escape this life. Not anymore.'' There was hurt in her voice but she wasn't going to cry, not in front of him. She couldn't even remember the last time she had cried in front of someone.

''Just hear me out.'' He stopped her from talking by putting his hand to the front, asking her to let him talk first. ''The FBI could give you protection against your husband and make sure your life of you and your daughter is safe.'' He offered her and suddenly she understood what he was trying to say. If she was correct he indeed wanted to help her to escape the marriage she was trapped in and let her work with the FBI, instead of clearing both their names.

''Why would you do that?'' She asked suspicious, not understanding why in god's name he would offer to help her after she had just blackmailed him a few hours ago. They had more reasons to hate each other than to be friends and she knew there was something he wanted back for that.

''In exchange I get to keep my job. It shouldn't surprise you that the FBI is well known with Lodge industries and once they know about your situation it shouldn't be a problem to protect you. Of course they don't do that for nothing. They are going to need information about your business.''

He saw that Hermione's brain was processing everything he was just telling her and he also was aware of the fact that this was a big decision for her to make. She would still set her life on risk if she would agree with him now, but it wasn't if she was sure to survive if she was continuing her co-ownership on Lodge industries.

''It's your only chance out of it, Hermione. Grab it.'' FP said almost softly, like he pitied her for the position she was in. He genuinely hoped for her that she would come to her senses and agree with him so either of them would get better out of it.

''I'll get back to you.'' She answered calmly. She didn't want to show him what she was thinking, but he knew she just needed a little push over the edge. She had already betrayed her husband a few times before so this time wouldn't be something else, FP hoped.

He got up out the chair, giving her a sympathetic look. She continued working on her files while he made his way to the door. There was just something else he had to get off his chest before leaving.

''Oh, and Hermione? About the election? There was just one man who selfishly wanted to make this town better. You certainly have the quality to be a good mayor, but use your power wisely this time.'' She knew who was talking about and just the memory of him made her heart ache. If she had given them a chance when she moved back to Riverdale maybe things would have been different.

''All I am asking is for you to not let him down this time. We've done that enough, don't you think? This time we both have the chance to make things right. If it isn't for us then at least it's for Fred.'' His words went right through her heart like a knife because it couldn't be more true. The sad part was that he was let down by a lot of peopel in this town. Maybe it was time for a change. Maybe it was time they all became a little more like Fred Andrews. 

It was late at night when Alice was putting on the shower and stepped underneath the hot water. The whole evening she had been thinking of the way FP had stormed out after their argument, but she didn't blame him for wanting time to think it over. She understood why he didn't want to involve Charles, but she didn't see any other solution for him to keep his job.

Even though she knew he worried about it, money wasn't going to be a problem. She could buy the house so they could still live on Elm Street. The kids didn't even need to know, but it was about way more than that. His job was his pride and he cared way more about it then he had ever showed anyone.

She got snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone opening the shower curtain. Just a second later FP stepped under the hot water with her, immediately grabbing her waist and locking their lips together in a steamy kiss.

Avoiding difficult conversations had always been one of his best talents and his actions proofed it. The voice in his head told him that the way he was dealing with his problem was wrong but right now he just wanted to feel her body against his and forget about everything that was happening around them. Alice didn't complain, she gave into the kiss even though it had kind of surprised her that he suddenly was in the shower with her, his lips so eager on hers.

His tongue quickly found its way into her mouth and gently stroke it, wanting to feel her soft touch as good as possible. One of his hand was placed firmly on her ass while the other one stroked her thigh. There was no rush in taking things further and if he just got the chance to hold her wet body against his all night he would be just as happy with that as well.

He knew way to well that once again he felt back into his coping mechanism of not talking about what he was feeling but his instinct told him that he wanted to do other things to her than just talking. For now it worked this way as long as he didn't know how to properly describe the way he really felt about the blackmail.

Alice bit his bottom lip just hard enough for it to hurt a little and she heard him groan into their kiss. She smiled, knowing what she was doing to him. In one swift move he lifted her up and banged her back against the bathroom wall, hurting her just a little bit which turned her on even more.

She knew just as well that they had to talk but it was hard to break from their old habits. Having sex was way easier than admitting how you feel, even when they were officially together now. The sound of her voice softly whispering his name was something he could never get tired of. Their bodies became in sync in just a matter of seconds. He was releasing fireworks through her body just as much as she was doing with him.

\--

FP was putting on one of his flannels and his sweatpants and walked out of their bedroom to walk into Jughead on the hallway. He tried to hide the fact that he just came out of what in Jugehad's eyes still was Alice's bedroom and kept the towel he had used close to his body.

''Jug, don't you need to sleep?'' FP asked curious, considering it was almost midnight and he had to go back to prep school tomorrow. He fully supported the chance that Jughead got even though he was missing him when he was so far away.

His son nodded slowly and by the look on his face he had already been in bed before, but got up because he remembered something. ''Did you check my bike? I just couldn't remember if it was working again.'' 

A few weeks ago Jughead's motorbike broke down when it was his way to transport himself to his school or back to Riverdale. Going there with the train took way too long so when he had his bike he could get back home as soon as possible when he wanted too.

''All taken care of.'' FP assured his son. Jughead's eyes quickly shot into the bedroom, seeing Alice folding some of her clothes, noticing that her hair was wet just as his dad's hair. He suspiciously looked at the both of them which didn't go unnoticed by FP.

''I am home for Thanksgiving by the way.'' He said when there fell an awkward silence. For a moment he expected his dad to say something about him and Alice, but he didn't so Jughead figured it was probably nothing or something they weren't ready to share yet. Alice walked over to the hallway now as well when he mentioned her favourite holiday.

''Glad to know you'll be home. I'll be making a family dinner, it's kind of a tradition.'' She said proudly. She couldn't wait to start preparing her delicious dinner, especially now she would have four Joneses to feed that night.

Betty now joined them as well, wrapping her arms around Jughead's waist and leaning her head on his shoulder. She smiled when Alice mentioned their Thanksgiving tradition. ''My mom makes enough for the whole state on Thanksgiving, so it might be just enough for you.'' She joked about the amount Jughead was always able to eat. The stomach of that boy didn't seem to have and end. 

''I am looking forward to it, Mrs. S.'' He smiled, and looked between his dad and Alice once more, now noticing the looks they were sending each other. The hands of Betty were burning into his skin and he wasn't sure how to feel about the situation if his speculation was true. 

\--

The next day FP walked into Charles's office in Centerville, planning to go through the evidence for the Evernever case with him. It had been long days with a lot of overhours but everything they had against Edgar and Evelyn had to be solid in order for them to get them behind bars for good. FP admired him for his hard work and the way he threw his heart and soul into the investigation. He could really see the resemblance between his son, Alice and Betty.

When Charles' assistant let him into his office he found him sitting at one of the laboratory desks, the lights low and his eyes fully fixated on one of the bags. His legs was nervously and rapidly moving onto the ground like he needed to lose some energy.

He hadn't even noticed his dad coming inside. FP eyes had to get used to the dark room but when he saw what Charles was holding in his hands his eyes grew wide. ''Put that down. Now!'' He commandd him.

He knew this kind of behaviour. This wasn't Charles the FBI agent going through the evidence for the case. This was Charles who let the version of him that's addicted take him over. His eyes spoke more than a thousand words and the way his body nervously moved confirmed to FP that he was fighting the urge to use the narcotics in the evidence bag.

Charles didn't respond but his breathing became heavier, like his power to resist to use became smaller and smaller. The voice in his head told him that he was throwing away the fact that he had been clean for over years now, but something else in his body had taken over him.

FP didn't hesitate and snapped the back of drugs out of his hand, finally waking up out the trance it was holding him into. His first instinct was to yell at him but he knew like no other that screaming was the last thing Charles could use right now. It had never worked with him before and always wanted him to grab a beer even more because he didn't feel understood.

So instead of telling him that what he was doing was wrong he took a seat next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. ''You okay?'' He asked carefully. Charles expected the yelling so he was surprised when there just came a worried question out of his mouth.

He placed his hands on his face and rubbed a few times like he was trying to wake himself up from the nightmare he just went through. ''Do you have this more often?'' FP asked when he knew the obvious answer to his first question. Of course he wasn't okay. There was a big chance he had used if FP didn't came in on that very moment.

''I didn't for a very long time. I guess with so much happening right now it suddenly reminded me of how it helped me escape.'' Charles confessed. He felt ashamed, but at the same time he was happy that it was FP who caught him with the evidence bag in his hands because he was probably one of the only people who would understand what he was going through.

''You scared me there, son.'' FP said softly, still having his hand on his shoulder. Charles now felt like he could look into his eyes and his face lit up when he heard FP saying those words. It sounded like he didn't even think of it, which made him tear up a little bit more. It was the first time someone has ever called him that. It finally hit him that he was someone's son and that he had a real father who genuinely cared about him.

''Is it the case? Or is it because of the family?'' He asked, trying to understand where his sudden urge to use came from. He wanted to protect his oldest child from relapsing because he knew how hard it was to climb back out of that hell hole. He knew more stories of people who died after they relapsed than people who got over it once again.

''All of it.'' Charles said quietly. He was grateful to suddenly having a family who were so welcoming and loving to him but because of the fact that he never grew up with being loved this way it was just all too much sometimes. There were nights on where he questioned if they really were honest with him or if it was just one big show to not hurt his feelings.

''What's something that keeps you from drinking again when the urge is high?'' Charles asked carefully, wanting advice from someone who definitely had felt like the way he was feeling right now.

FP pulled away his hand from his shoulder and thought about this question. It had been a long time since he had trouble not to drink. The last time was when he had turned down Alice after Gladys came back but coming home to his son and daughter sitting at the kitchen table together was something that got him going. If he had started drinking after that he was losing them again and he couldn't do that anymore.

And right now? He had been happier than he ever was. He had two of his kids living with him, he had a job he loved, he managed to be a good father, he was together with the woman he had loved over twenty years and above that the son he thought he had lost was back in his life again. 

Now he got the chance to wake-up next to Alice every day, have breakfast with her and have her close to him made the reason he always wanted to drink completely disappear. He didn't need to forget anymore. He wanted to remember every second.

''Sometimes it's not something. It's someone.'' He confessed softly. It didn't took long for Charles to realise what his dad was talking about.

He had noticed the looks and the way she was finally glowing again. He remember that after he ended things with her he had to hold her sobbing body into his arms, telling her that it was maybe for this best if they wanted to mission to succeed, while in fact his heart ached for his mom, who had looked so broken after that.

FP knew he almost slipped the fact that he and Alice were together again but he and Charles needed just one look to tell each other that he understood and that the secret was safe with him. 

''Come on, let's finish work so we can head home. Your mom would love to have you over for dinner.'' Charles smiled gratefully. He had to wait twenty five years to have parents, but knowing how much they cared for him and each other made it all worth the wait.

\--

After dinner at the Jones household Betty and Charles went get some dessert at Pop's because Jellybean kept asking about it. Betty had used this opportunity to finally have some alone time with her brother to have a real conversation instead of talking about organ harvesting cults. They decided to have a walk since even for the winter is was nice to walk outside. Both of them liked the cold in some way.

With their breath making little clouds in the air and their scarfs wrapped around their throats they made their way towards Pop's. She looked to her right and analysed the look on his face.

''Doesn't it feel weird?'' She carefully asked him. Charles now looked at her as well with a furrowed eye brow because he didn't knew what she was aiming for.

''Suddenly having a family?'' She made clear her question. What she didn't know is that she immediately touched a weak spot, thinking of how he had sit in his office with the bag of drugs in his hands. It was the most beautiful and the most terrifying feeling at the same time.

He sighed and smiled slightly. It was difficult to talk to him about this kind of stuff, even when he just learned to open up about it towards FP. He had never experienced a sibling relationship before, but he was glad Betty was the one who tried to break the ice. 

It was something that was hard for him to do when it came to personal relationships. Knocking on their door and telling both Betty and Jughead that he is their brother was something different. That was just a fact. This was way more personal.

''You know, when you grow up alone you don't have that much to lose. I only had myself, but I even managed to lose that for a moment.'' He started to explain his feelings. He had never felt the love and warmth of a group of people who cared about him in a way a family does and somehow that was still scary to him.

''Now I have all of you to lose. That's terrifying.'' He admitted, trying his best to explain himself. Betty now realised that it was hard for him to adjust into the new situation and she blamed herself for not thinking of that before. She stopped him so she could look in his eyes properly.

After the incidents with Chic and how she had a war going on with him she had always been questioning the fact if her real brother was out there somewhere, but she always said to herself that it was just thing she said to herself to not have to process that he really didn't live anymore. Now her real brother came back into her life and she couldn't be more grateful. She really wanted him to feel at home.

''We are not going anywhere. I promise.'' She assured him. Her hands were placed on his shoulders and she smiled to him, hoping he would believe her. She knew for fact that neither Alice or FP would ever back out again because she had seen how happy they were with him back into her lives. Charles smiled back and chuckled slightly, feeling a bit of relief because of her sweet words.

They started walking again until Charles asked her a question that had been on his mind for a few weeks now. ''I was wondering...Did I ruin things for you and Jughead? Because that was never my intention.'' Betty smiled slightly and she was actually happy that he asked her about this. 

Of course it had been a little obstacle, but she didn't love Jughead any less and the same went the other way around. It was a weird and complicated situation but they had been through worse.

''Jughead and I are fine, don't worry about it. We loved each other before so we don't see why that would change now. Things in Riverdale are always... complicated, so we'll survive this.'' She chuckled a little at the end of her sentence, knowing that it was a little awkward. It didn't go unnoticed by her that Charles was a little uncomfortable by the sitation and really felt like the obstacle in their relationship.

''We're both really glad you're here.'' She added to that, making sure that he knew that both she and Jughead were happy with their brother in their life. Charles smiled gratefully for how hard she was trying.

''And our mom and my dad?'' He asked her right away, knowing that they had to talk about it someday and since they were on a roll they could better do it right there and right now. He knew he wasn't the only one who had seen that there was going on more between Alice and FP, even though they never had said anything about it themselves. It just didn't took a genius to see that they were hiding something and according to the way they both looked way happier than before it had to do something with their relationship.

''Well, if there is really going something going on between them I just hope that it's good for the both of them. I really believe they need each other right now. It's their time to be happy as well.'' Betty said her thoughts out loud. She realised that even though she suspected that her mom and FP were hiding a relationship she never had seen it as a reason to not be with Jughead and he didn't either.

They both have seen their parents hit rock bottom and all they wished was for them to finally be in a place where they are genuinely happy and if that meant being with each other than that's what it was going to be. It could have been complicated for their relationship but Betty never doubted her love for Jughead. It wasn't because they were together their parents couldn't rekindle their long lost romance or that she and Jughead couldn't be together. They could both exist in the same universe and get a happily ever after.

''Have you seen the way mom is glowing the last few weeks?'' Charles asked her with a smile on her face. He believed that everyone in the town could see it on her face even though she did her best to hide it. It were just the small things like the spark in her eyes when FP entered the room or how she looked at him when he came out of the basement with his hair all messy.

Betty laughed and nodded. ''I've never seen her like this before, and that's definitely a good thing.'' Charles was glad that having a personal conversation with Betty was going so well and for the first time in his life he felt something that most people would describe as the love and affection for a family member who is close to your heart.

''Do you already know what kind of milkshake you want?'' She asked him when the neon sign of Pop's already came into sight. Charles brought up his shoulders up and down. He didn't eat fast food that much and he hadn't visited Pop's before. ''What would you recommend?'' He asked her for advice.

Betty gasped and stopped walking. She laughed and swatted his chest. ''You have never been at Pop's before?'' Charles laughed and shook his head. He had been in Riverdale for over two months now but most of the time he was working on the case and he didn't really have friends to have a fun night with. He was luckily to now have a sister he could do that kind of activities with.

''You don't leave me with any other choice than to order all the flavours. It's time you to make you a real Riverdale citizen.'' Full of excitement she walked over to Pop's the let him meet her most favourite place of the town. He laughed at her reaction and felt a warm feeling inside. Maybe Riverdale could be a good home after all.

Alice had putted on her new red suit she bought for her all the on screen TV interviews she had to do for job as a news reporter. It was something else than writing, but for now she liked the balance between writing herself and giving others the chance to tell their story on screen. The bright red blazer fitted her perfectly just as her matching pants did. She contently gave herself a smile in the mirror and grabbed her bag.

She had a long lunch break before she had to get back to the TV station so she decided to surprise FP with some fresh baked scones from Riverdale's finest bakery. After their meeting with the Lodge's they still hadn't talked about it and she was sure they would come with an ultimatum any time soon.

She had thought about being honest with Charles and tell them about the blackmail, but that wasn't something she wanted to do without FP's consent. Joining him for lunch gave them an opportunity to talk about their strategy as well. One thing was for sure, she wasn't going to let FP lose his job.

Alice greeted FP's assistant with a smile who already caught on to their relationship. It wasn't the first time she had visited him at the station even though it had been over a few months since she came into his office. Her heart still ached thinking back of the words he had said there to her, but that was all in the past now. There was no use in repeating those words over and over to herself because all she did was reliving it. She knew FP cared about her and wanted to make it work this time. That was all what counted for the time being.

His face lit up when he saw her walking into his office. She noticed how his eyes scanned her body and for a moment she felt proud that he was checking her out. It made her feel like they were in high school all over again. He never made a secret about the fact that he was analysing her body. The crooked grin she loved so much appeared on his face.

''Hey, what are you doing here?'' He asked, his eyes up anywhere but her face. Alice grinned and placed the bag with scones on his desk. It was full of files so he probably was working hard to make everything ready for court next week. She was glad that she had collected all her proof together with Charles because she wasn't sure she was ready to share all her experiences about the farm with FP. Not that she not trusted him, but for now the wounds were just too fresh.

''Surprising you with some scones from my favourite bakery. I assumed you didn't have time to get some good lunch, so I thought I'd bring you some.'' FP got out of his chair and placed his hands on her hips. She was leaning against his desk waiting for him to finally greet her properly. He smiled gratefully and planted a soft kiss on her lips. ''That's very thoughtful. I am starving so your timing couldn't be more perfect.'' He said softly while caressing her legs.

The bags under his eyes betrayed that he was extremely tired even if he wouldn't admit it. For the last few weeks all he had done was working, sleeping and eating and repeating those three things. A free night seemed to be a very rare occasion.

He knew that since they were together again Alice liked to have him home more often. Luckily he had a free evening for Thanksgiving, which was tomorrow night. It was probably going to be his only night off until the case against the Evernevers was over but at least he got to spend it with his family.

Her index finger stroke against the stubble on his chin, looking him softly into his eyes. ''We still have to talk about the Lodges.'' She carefully started. FP sighed and nodded slowly. He knew he should have told her sooner but his whole idea to go to Hermione's home was so impulsive that he didn't even think it through. He just wished he could keep her out of it. It was his problem, not hers.

''About that...'' He started, knowing that she wasn't going to be happy about it. Before he could say anything further they got interrupted by a knock in the door. The woman that was standing in his door opening was the same woman they were just starting to talk about. She was dressed in a black and white suit and a navy blue coat. She looked nervous, but FP knew exactly why she was there.

''Alice, FP.'' She said politely, not knowing how to greet them otherwise. FP nodded slowly to her, trying to read in her eyes what kind of decision she had made when it came to his offer. Or they might have got a new ally, or they would be enemies forever. The outcome was totally in Hermione's hands.

''Hermione.'' Alice said surprised, not knowing that her man was having an appointment with her. She glanced at him as if he could tell her with his eyes what this was all about. Of course FP avoided her attempt to meet his eyes so he looked straight towards the woman who now took a few steps into the office.

For all Hermione knew was that Alice and FP somehow were a team now, whether they were together or not. The way they had acted together that day in Pop's was the proof that they were on the same side, probably because it was about their son this time.

She hadn't forgot about senior year when she had found the tough Alice Smith crying in the ladies room because FP Jones had knocked her up. She had always kept that secret but now she was using the son she knew about all along as a way to blackmail the both of them.

''I am accepting your offer.'' She stated calmly. Alice frowned, not knowing what she was talking about but FP certainly did. He just nodded slowly and crossed his arms over his chest. He knew he just missed the chance to tell Alice about his appointment with Hermione and that it was not going to be a fun conversation afterwards.

''You do, huh?'' He walked over to her while Alice followed every tiny movement one of them made. Hermione nodded once again to confirm her words. FP chuckled slightly and hold out his hand for her to shake it. She didn't hesitate anymore and grabbed it in a firm shake, making direct eye contact to make sure that he knew that this was an offer that putted her life on risk.

''It's a pleasure doing business with you. We'll be in touch.'' FP assured her with a convincing look. Hermione looked at Alice again and now she understood that the deal she just made with him was something that happened behind her back. She definitely didn't want to be a part of that argument so as long as FP would keep his word it wasn't any of her business.

Hermione turned around, closing the door of his office behind her. While she walked out FP went back to his desk, avoiding the fierce look of his girlfriend. ''What was that about?'' She asking commanding. He knew she wasn't going to let him handle the situation, even when he insisted on it. She was a journalist, so it was kind of in her nature to stick her nose in everything.

''I fixed our problem with the Lodges.'' He answered truthfully, but that answer didn't satisfy her. She wasn't going home with that little information. She needed the whole story. Alice crossed her arms and the look on her face betrayed the fact that she was furious. She hated when he pulled stuff like this.

''She is going to testify against Hiram and in exchange the FBI is giving her full time security and I get to keep my job.'' He explained to her the situation in a nutshell. Alice couldn't even pay attention to the fact that it might be the solution for their problem, all she could think of was the fact that he made this decision without her.

''And were you ever going to tell me that?'' Alice mocked, walking over to the other side of the desk, now able to face him properly. He had expected her to ask for some explanation but he couldn't understand what all the fuzz was about. Was him fixing his problem suddenly a bad thing?

''I was from the moment I knew she was on board. It's done now, this way it's a win for the both of us.'' He said like it all made perfectly sense. In a way it did because he wasn't wrong. He had looked forward to the moment he could have gone home and tell her he had fixed it so he could finally be the man that protected his family instead of bringing them in danger. Just for once he wanted to know how that felt.

Alice scoffed and shook her head. ''You are unbelievable.'' She angrily grabbed her purse and left this office with the eyes of FP burning in her back. He sighed and threw the first file he laid his eyes on from the table to relieve some of his bottled up anger.

\---

Even if they wanted to, neither of them could talk about their argument because Jughead had come home that evening so they didn't have time to be alone yet. Since it was a full house they couldn't sleep in the same bed because the risk of getting caught was way higher not knowing how late the kids would wake up.

Alice pretended that the fight never happened to not raise any suspicion to her kids. They were all just too happy to be together that night that the rest didn't matter, even if it was just for a few hours.

FP didn't think much about the fact that he slept in his room at the basement that night because it was clear he couldn't sneak up stairs that night. He was just glad that he had protected both Alice and Charles from the problem he had created.

If he hadn't taken that job as the Sheriff, or got in a fair way then neither of them would have been involved. He couldn't stand the idea of them being dragged down in decisions he had made in the past. Everything was fine now, they didn't need to worry. He hoped Alice could see that as well.

The next morning was Thanksgivings day so there was a big chance the kids would sleep in. They had been working hard on school so they deserved to finally get some rest. For Alice Thanksgiving day meant getting up earlier than she normally did.

For most people in the country Thanksgiving meant watching the New-York parade on TV and eat a lot of turkey but for Alice it meant spending the whole day in the kitchen. She didn't even mind that, in fact it was her favourite holiday. Working her ass off in the kitchen for others to eat it all and enjoy it was something that she had always loved.

So there she was 8am on Thanksgivings morning taking all her ingredients out of the fridge, ready to start the most delicious meal of the year. Later that day she would ask the kids to help her out a little but for now the kitchen was all hers. She loved the complete silence around her. This really was her way of having some alone time.

FP got up the stairs into the living room already dressed in his Sheriff uniform. Most people had a day off today, but his job would never stop. He didn't mind that though, now he finally had some time to finish all the paper work that didn't have to do something with the Evernever case. It wasn't going to be a busy day but he didn't mind having desk duty.

''You are up early.'' He noticed that the kitchen island was already packed with all the pans they had. Alice didn't look up at him but just went on with what she was doing. She was still mad at him and she was going to show him that as well. The problem was that she only knew one way how and that certainly was going to make things worse.

FP caught on to what she was doing real quick and sighed deeply. ''So you are not talking to me now?'' He said a little bit annoyed by the fact how she was handling the situation. He knows it just an old habit. They had promised each other to work on that but she didn't seem to remember that now.

Alice still didn't talk to him and pretended he wasn't even in the same room as her. There was a voice in the back of her head that told her to drop her act and talk to him about what she was feeling like a normal but it was just too let go of something she was used to do. For over twenty-five years this was the way she handled all her fights with Hal and for some reason she couldn't change it now. Not yet, at least.

''I fixed the problem. Why are you so mad about that?'' He scoffed, totally missing the point of why she was acting the way she did. In his eyes he did a good thing for her and their son, but she couldn't even be happy about it which hurt him a little.

This was the last straw for Alice. He really had no clue what was bothering her so much. She placed down the oven dish just a little bit too hard for it to make a loud bang on the kitchen counter. She looked up with her eyes spitting fire.

''It's not about that FP, it's about how you went behind my back.'' She snapped, finally saying what has been on her mind. She was mad, but at the same time she had trouble fighting her tears. They had just been together for a week and they had already had their first fight. Deep down she was afraid things between them were never going to change, even if the both of them tried really hard.

''I tried to keep you and Charles out of it to protect you. It's my mess, not yours.'' He defended himself. When someone attacked him he got into the habit of immediately defending himself, especially when it came to Alice. As a part of the Serpents it was just something he got used to and it was hard to get rid of it.

His words hit exactly the spot that bothered her so much. It was how he said he all did it for them, like he wanted to deal with everything on his own. It was a part of him that she loved so much but it broke her heart that he thought he needed to fix everything by himself.

Her face softened just a little bit and she took a step into his direction. ''It's not your mess, FP. It's ours now. We're supposed to be a team.'' Her voice was still loud and she gestured between the two of them to make her statement clear. For a second he broke their eye contact because she had hit a touchy subject for him.

He just couldn't make her a part of his problems, fearing the fact that she might get tired of it or even worse. He could drag her down with him. He wasn't going to let that happen to either her or Charles.

''I am not bringing you or our son into this. I am the one that should protect you, so that's exactly what I am going to do.'' He stated, ending their discussion. He was certain about his point of view and he was not planning on chancing it.

Alice shook her head in disbelief and poked her tongue into her mouth to fight her tears. She turned away from him and picked up her early morning activity of starting the family dinner. Deep down she wanted to make him stay and talk about this, but right now she just couldn't.

FP was just as stubborn as she was because he grabbed his black Sheriff coat while he followed her every step. His look said more than a thousand words, he was just as annoyed with her as she was with him right now. He had the same voice in his head that Alice was having, but neither of them were yet there to give into that. So they got back to pushing each other away.

''I'll be at the station.'' He mentioned to her in case she was wondering where he was going to be all day. She didn't even blink when he left out of the door.

\--

Later that day the kids were all up and helping Alice preparing dinner. Betty and Jellybean were busy making the cherry pie for dessert while Alice and Jughead had started with the turkey and the thousand side dishes Alice made every year.

If food was someone's specialty then it definitely was Jughead's. He had asked her before about learning her special recipe and since he became family in some sort of way she had decided that he could help her cook.

He was cutting the vegetables while Alice started working on the sauce. ''So how long have you been having this tradition, Mrs. S?'' He asked curious, wanting to bond a little more with the mother of his girlfriend. She smiled at his question, thinking about all the times she had been had done this before.

''Since Polly and Betty were little, actually. The turkey was a bit smaller because they were just kids and they ate more of the dessert anyway.'' Alice chuckled of the thought. She remembered how she worked her ass off all day just for them to shove most of the turkey aside and wait for her to give them a big piece of her famous cherry pie. She didn't even mind. Those smiles on the faces of the little girls was something she would bust her ass of for any day if she had to.

Betty turned around when she overheard their conversation. She had some pretty good memories about it as well. ''We used to watch the parade together even though Polly was a little scared of it.'' Betty chuckled and shook her head having the image of her bigger sister not wanting to admit that big floating animals were pretty scary to her.

''Did you have any Thanksgiving traditions?'' Alice asked towards Jughead and Jellybean, taking some milk out of the fridge and handing it to Betty so they could start making the batter for the pancakes as well. Alice always made way to much food, including multiple desserts.

The siblings shared a sad look together and Jellybean shrugged her shoulders. ''I never really celebrated Thanksgiving.'' She said quietly, not making any eye contact but just concentrating on placing the cherries inside the pie.

It now occurred to Betty and Alice that the two of them never really had a real Thanksgiving before. ''Me and my mom never really celebrated any holiday.'' Jellybean added to that, making the mood heavier than it already was. Jughead placed down his knife and looked into the eyes of his girlfriend, who gave him a sad smile.

''How about you, Jug?'' Betty asked softly, feeling guilty about the fact that she hadn't even think about the fact that their childhoods had been so different, especially when it came to these kind of things.

''My dad tried, but it was always just something that needed to be warmed up in the microwave and some dessert from Pop's. I've never had a Thanksgiving like this one either.'' He admitted. Alice almost felt bad about asking them a touchy question like that, but she was glad she knew now. This way she could even make a better dinner than before so it would be unforgettable.

She gave the two of them a loving smile. ''Well, in that case I am glad that you'll celebrate your first official Thanksgiving here with us.'' Betty nodded in agreement. She grabbed the hand of her boyfriend and placed her other hand on his sister's shoulders.

''I just hope we have enough food to feed four people with Jones blood.'' Alice joked and look around the packed kitchen counter. It had to be enough, even with four people with an extremely good appetite. Jughead pretended to think very deep. ''Hmm, it might just be enough.'' Betty swatted his chest playfully and everybody laughed along.

Betty walked over to the TV and gestured for Jellybean to follow her. ''Come, we can watch the parade together.'' There creeped a smile on Jellybean's face and she jumped on the couch next to Betty, who laughed at her enthusiasm. Jughead and Alice smiled at the two of them bonding together. It seemed like even though the situation was complicated they were managing it well.

Two hours later Alice and Jughead were finishing up the last side dishes while the turkey was already in the oven. Everything else was already prepared so it would just take thirty minutes before they could get started on the biggest meal of the year.

Jellybean pointed at the window. ''Look, it's snowing!'' All of them gathered around the kitchen window and looked at the little snowflakes floating around. You almost couldn't see the other side of the street anymore because the amount of snow blocked the view. With all the cooking they didn't had time to look outside but the sight was absolutely beautiful.

They didn't had much time to enjoy the view though, because the front door slammed open. Jellybean and Jughead poked their head at the door and saw their brother standing there, his black coat totally covered in little with snowflakes. He shivered and shook his hair to free it from the cold icy pieces.

''In case you haven't noticed, it's snowing outside.'' Charles said with a straight face and getting a chuckle from Alice and Betty. He shoved his coat down his shoulders and hang it along with his scarf on the coatrack so he could walk into the living room. ''That's a great discovery. I can see why you became a FBI agent.'' Jughead joked. Charles laughed and greeted his mother and middle sister.

Alice was grateful that Charles decided to join them for Thanksgiving. She knew it was still a lot for him to adjust too. Of course she wanted him to give him the space he needed but despite that she was just really glad that he decided to be a part of the family holiday. The family was almost complete now, they were only waiting for FP to get home.

Her mind drifted towards the fight they have had and how he had stormed out. It wasn't if she didn't understood his reasons, because in fact she understood that perfectly. It just broke her heart that he felt like it was his problem while she wanted them to share that kind of stuff. She was all in with him and for that meant wanting his problems as well.

''It smells delicious!'' Charles said enthusiastically, earning a wide grin from the four of them. He wanted to grab a piece of the side dishes already but Alice playfully swatted his fingers. ''We're not starting yet.'' She warned him, pointing her finger at his face almost unable to hide her grin. According to his appetite there was no doubt in the fact that Charles was a Jones.

''We are waiting for a certain Sheriff.'' Jughead mentioned, pouring himself a glass of juice already. Charles furrowed his brow and looked out of the window again, his eyes meeting the snow that seems to be falling even faster now. The roads were packed with a big layer of white flakes.

''He's still out?'' He asked in disbelief, thinking of the fact that he had to travel ninety minutes over a ride that normally was about twenty minutes. It wasn't safe to get on the roads right now. His brother nodded at him. He certainly wasn't that worried. ''Yeah, needed to do some paperwork I guess.''

Thirty minutes went over and FP still hadn't shown while dinner was supposed to begin an hour ago. Alice had been awfully quiet, reliving how she and FP had left things the moment that he left. She was afraid he had cancelled on dinner tonight and wouldn't show up anymore.

In that case she would have to explain the kids all by herself and it would totally ruin the evening. She didn't want to scar Jughead and Jellybean on their first real Thanksgiving. Their dad should be there and it felt like it was her fault he wasn't. Above that all it was Charles first Thanksgiving as well and thinking about how his dad would bail on all of them broke her heart.

Jellybean had been staring out of the window with a concerned look on her face. It was obvious that she was worried about her dad still being out there and having to come their way. Charles phone beeped and he checked the message immediately, hoping that it was FP.

''Put on the news. Apparently there's a blizzard. No one is allowed to go outside.'' Betty practically ran over to the TV and pressed the power button on the remote. In a few seconds she had switched to the local news channel to see the weather forecast that told them exactly the same. Everyone looked outside and they saw that the blizzard got worse at every second. They couldn't even see Charles car standing in front of the house anymore.

Jughead didn't hesitate to call his dad, put he immediately got his voicemail. He sighed and went with his hand through his hair, making it messy. ''Do you think something has happened with daddy?'' his sister asked worried, her eyes glossy only thinking about it. He shrugged his shoulders. ''He doesn't pick up his phone.''

Betty shared a concerned look with her mother, who tried her best not to show that she was panicking inside. FP could be in danger and they left things off with a fight. She would never forgive herself if he wasn't safe and she made him leave like that.

''Mom, have you talked to Mrs. Jones today? Can he be somewhere else than the station?'' She asked, immediately thinking of all the possibilities. She wanted FP to be home as soon as possible just as much as everyone else.

Alice hesitatingly shook her head. ''No, I haven't.'' She lied. She couldn't tell them what happened that morning, not yet at least. Charles locked eyes with his mother, feeling that she wasn't telling the truth. She send him a helpless look so he decided to let it go. It probably wasn't something she could say out loud.

It was a difficult task for Alice to keep herself from crying. All she wanted was to have him home and never fight with him again. For a moment she felt like sharing their secret with the kids, revealing how worried she was but right now she needed to be the one to calm them down.

Jughead sat next to his sister and fixated his look on the tv screen only to hear that the blizzard was only getting worse the next hours. Above that they had no clue where FP could be and his phone was down as well.

Every time Jugehad was nervous he started biting his nails which didn't go unnoticed by Betty. She took a seat next to him and softly grabbed his hands, making him look into her eyes. ''He'll be fine.'' She tried to convince them even though she had no idea if that was true.

Charles hadn't stopped analysing his mother, who seemed to break down more any second. All she could think of were the thousand scenarios where FP was in danger. Only thinking about it made her nauseous already. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, making her snap out of her thoughts.

''Mom, are you...'' He couldn't finish his sentence because someone opened the front door and closed it with a slam a few seconds later. All their faces turned around in a split second to see who came through the front door.

His skin was all red, his hair was full of little snowflakes and it looked like he was freezing. Jughead and Jellybean jumped up and ran over into the arms of the man they had been worrying about so much. He wrapped the both of them in a tight embrace, making sure that he was holding them close.

''I'm sorry I am late.'' He said quietly, slowly letting go of his kids. Jellybean didn't loosen her embrace but just hold onto his waist while Jughead slowly pulled back as well to face his dad. There was a relieved expression in his eyes. He was glad his dad got home safely, even when that seemed like a miracle.

''We were worried sick. Your phone was down as well. No one was allowed to go outside, how did you make it here?'' Jughead asked his father, having no clue how he made it without getting stuck in the snow. If you looked outside you would know that it only took someone crazy to go outside right now. It was obviously dangerous.

FP putted off his coat and hang it over one of the chairs and the dining table. ''Forgot to charge it. I already was on my way when the blizzard started. Took me two hours to get from the station to here. Couldn't see a thing.'' He explained what had happened that night.

When he looked up he saw Alice standing just a few steps away from him. Her eyes were glossy like she was fighting against her tears. All day he had felt the guilt of fighting with her and he was lucky he even got the chance to make it home safely.

If things had gotten worse that was how they would have parted ways. From all the things he had to do at the station today he hadn't gotten the chance to do anything that was on his list. His mind had drifted off to Alice and how he knew she was right. He should have told her about his agreement with Hermione, but he was just so used to fixing his problems all by himself.

''Alice...'' He spoke out quietly, locking his chocolate brown eyes directly with her ocean blue ones. He slowly took a few steps into her direction, not wanting what she was feeling right now and if it was okay if he closed the distance.

She let out a cry of relief and then finally gave in. She took the last step and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He immediately joined into the hug and nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. He inhaled the calming scent of her shampoo. It finally hit him that tonight could have ended differently and he wouldn't have gotten home to the woman he loved. His hands were placed on her back and one of them slowly rubbed her shoulder area.

She let a tear escape her eye while she pulled him even closer. ''I am so glad you are safe.'' She gasped out. Neither of them paid attention to the fact that their kids were there in the living room as well, witnessing a tender moment between the two of them. They just started at the two adults, being taken off guard by the sudden closeness that was happening in front of them.

He pulled back and searched for her eyes. She noticed how the tears in his eyes were ready to fall. His hands had travelled down to her waist, not letting them slide of her body. He wanted to have her close to him.

''You are right.'' He said quietly. ''We're a team.'' He almost whispered. She placed one of her hands on his neck to be able to stroke his jaw softly with her thumb. There creeped a slight smile on her face hearing those words out of his mouth.

''You don't have to face your demons alone, FP. Not anymore.'' She assured him, sniffing her tears away and smiling at the man she loved so much. He let a soft smile appear on his face, knowing that from now on he'd always have her in his corner.

He was used to people walking away whenever he got himself into a mess. He couldn't even blame people for that but seeing everyone leave because they just couldn't handle everything that was happening around him made him want to deal with things on his own. The thought of Alice leaving because it was just all too much was one of his biggest fears. Now he knew she wasn't going to run away. She was going to face it with him. 

''I want you to know that I'll be there till the end of the road, even if it's going to be a bumpy one.'' She said, while he cupped her cheek with his left hand and stroked it with his thumb. He gazed into her eyes totally forgetting about the big snow storm outside or the other four people in the room.

All he had eyes for was the woman who was standing so close to him, staring into her eyes and totally drowning in them. He couldn't even think of spending another day without her ever again. 

''I shouldn't have shut you out. It's just that...'' He had trouble explaining his feelings since he never had to be so vulnerable with someone before. He had always avoided conversations like this because he just didn't know how to make his feelings clear.

''It's just that I am not used to having someone in my corner. All I wanted was to protect you.'' He admitted softly, receiving a sweet smile from the woman in front of him. Her heart fluttered hearing those words from him. She'd always known that he didn't shut her out because he didn't care, it was the exact opposite. He wanted her safe but to her that wasn't his job. From now on they should keep each other safe, which meant sharing their doubts and fears.

''I don't need you to protect me, I just need you.'' She whispered softly, finally admitting how much she wanted to be with him.

She was all he needed to feel loved and wanted and he wasn't going to throw that away ever again. There were lot of things they should work on but they were getting there. It was just the first step in their journey together.

''I love you, Alice.'' He softly blurted out. She gasped inaudible but her smile didn't stay away for long. She looked at him like she was the happiest girl in the world because in that moment she really felt like she was.

She had been dying for him to say those words to her but now he finally said it out loud. It was like there just spread a whole zoo full of butterflies into her stomach. It was a feeling she had never felt before. It was the feeling of being loved by the person you craved it from.

''I am afraid I love you too, FP.'' She said smiling. He chuckled and placed his hands firmly on her waist, pulling her body as close as humanly possible. She didn't hesitate and brought his head closer to hers by placing her hand in his neck.

He slowly kissed her soft lips and tasted the cherry lip balm she was wearing. It reminded him of the first time he had kissed her when they were teenagers. The cherry taste was all he could think of for days. This time the kiss was different though. This time he finally told her how he felt about her for over twenty-five years. Back then he just didn't know that it was the feeling of loving someone.

What they hadn't noticed was that their kids had been staring at the intimate moment all that time. It wasn't until they broke free from their kiss that they realised they had totally blown their cover. FP slowly let his hands slide from her body but still kept one of his hands on her back to not break the psychical contact.

''I think we owe you an explanation.'' He slowly started, locking eyes with Alice once again, begging her for help to solve this. It wasn't their intention to tell about their relationship yet, especially not this way.

There wasn't really a way back either because they had all witnessed FP's confession and the kiss they shared afterwards. It was time to come clean about their relationship, whether they were ready for that or not.

''We've kind of had our presumptions already.'' Betty smiled slightly, looking at her boyfriend, his sister and their older brother. They nodded in agreement and chuckled when they saw the awkward look on both Alice and FP's faces.

Alice's mind started to panic, thinking about the fact that suddenly all their kids knew about their relationship while they just got together a few weeks ago. She had thought about all the scenarios of what they possibly could be thinking about them having a serious and committed relationship and neither of those scenarios was any good.

FP felt Alice tense so he pulled her a little closer to him, trying to assure her that the worst part was over. Even though it wasn't planned it saved them from having to tell them at dinner sometime. The idea of having to do that anytime had been freaking her out already.

''How do you feel about this? About us?'' Alice asked carefully while scanning the faces of the kids in front of them. They looked at each other, locking their eyes and tell them their thoughts before Jughead was the one who spoke of for the four of them.

''Since we already figured that there might have been a possibility that something was going on we had an open discussion about it, discovering how we would feel about it.'' He started. He looked into the eyes of his father who seemed to be nervous about their opinions.

Jughead knew it meant a lot to him what he and Jellybean thought about his new relationship with Alice and he had to admit it felt weird to him. Both of them were still getting used to the fact that their mom was out of the picture now, but there was something else that had noticed that made him open to the idea.

For a long time he had only seen a broken look inside his dad's eyes. Even before his mom left he knew he wasn't happy, because the spark in his eyes hadn't make a reappearance the moment she got back. But the last few weeks it suddenly was there. The first few weeks he had no clue how it was possible that somehow he looked finally happy but the pieces felt together when he saw him sneaking around the bathroom with Alice.

''We want you guys to give your relationship a real chance. You have our support.'' Betty smiled to her mother, receiving a grateful smile back. Those words meant everything to Alice. She never intended to make things awkward for Betty or Jughead so the fact that they openly supported her relationship with FP made her happy in a way she couldn't even describe.

''How about you, JB? Charles?'' FP asked hesitatingly. He looked into of his oldest and his youngest child, not knowing if they felt the same about the situation as Betty and Jughead. His daughter shrugged her shoulders and looked down to the floor. She had a hard time adjusting to the fact that her mother wasn't coming back to Riverdale but she wanted her dad to be happy as well.

''I am okay, dad.'' She answered with a soft smile. FP knew he had to talk with her sooner or later and explain her that what was going on between him and Alice wasn't just a fling. They were in it for the long haul. That was something that was going to be difficult to realise for the teenager.

Now all eyes were on Charles, who felt a little taken off guard with everyone expecting for him to say something. He hadn't known his parents for a long time but it certainly was different compared to the way he had known Alice before.

There was a glow all over her that wasn't there when they met each other. He knew FP had hurt and possibly the other way around as well but according to the looks they are giving each other he knew it was real. It didn't took an FBI agent to see that.

''You guys are glowing. I am glad that you are working things out.'' He smiled at them, but Alice knew that there was hidden pain in his voice. He got a glimpse of the happy parents that he could have had grown up with and just by the slight change in his voice she heard that it was something he was struggling with as well.

He was standing next to her so she softly grabbed his hand and squeezed it for a second, assuring him that she knew his pain. She wasn't going to let this slip. The fact that they all supported their now official out in the open romance didn't mean everything was fine now. Yet there were so many obstacles they had to overcome but she knew she could do it as long as FP was facing them with her.

''Let's finally have dinner. There's a turkey waiting for us.'' Jughead said eagerly, finally giving into the hungry feeling he had been having for hours. Everyone laughed and Alice walked over to the oven while the rest took a seat at the table. She grabbed the turkey and smiled to herself. Even if the evening didn't go the way she planned, it was an unforgettable Thanksgiving after all.


End file.
